An Emerald Amongst Rubies
by lasweetie
Summary: “Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last” -Samuel Johnson. Aro decides to create a hybrid vampire, and surprises himself and the whole Volturi.
1. Curious

**Author's Note: **_Bonjour and welcome to my first full fledged Twilight fan fiction! I just have a few notes before we get started.  
First off, I want to send a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to Clairehasdimples, my fan fic/ RL friend who gave me the idea for this story (later we found out we weren't so original). And also for her reading every chapter and giving me amazing feedback._

_Secondly, I want to thank Stephanie Meyer for creating this wonderful portrayal of vampires which we all can get into! I'm not afraid to admit that Forks (and now Volterra) is my second (and third) home. :) _

_Lastly, a note about the story. I said on my profile that this story is completed, which is true. I have the unfortunate tendency of not finishing stories once I've posted them. I realized I didn't want to leave anyone hanging, cause that would be terribly rude of me. Now, enjoy this story, it is my baby!_

**_Stephanie Meyer owns the Volturi and all characters not created by me. No infringement intended._**

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Sometimes, my curiosity causes problems. Yet, I cannot shake this insatiable lust for knowledge, second only to the thirst for blood. But this time, my curiosity has gone too far, according to Caius. Now my curiosity is taking me to the Cullens for, hopefully, the last time.

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I always forget how quickly time passes in the mortal's life. It had been fifty years since I left Forks, Washington, and I hadn't even given it a second thought. Once I had returned home safely, I all but forgot about the family and their unique situation. Almost half a century later, a strange reminder brought me back to them.

Heidi had come back with a motley crew of tourists for our pleasure. We had resigned ourselves to the fact of only dining on the random visitors to Volterra. We wanted to keep our city safe from harm, and the only people that our citizens didn't pay attention to was our guests. Anyway, Heidi returned, and I saw one of the girls wearing a University of Washington sweater. It was all the reminder I needed. In a moment I recalled all of the details of the short visit to the Cullen family so many years back. After I had had my fill of the pulsing tourist blood, I made my way to my den, to think.

My mind was drawn to the little girl, who would now be fully grown, the daughter of Edward and Bella, the child who looked so much like the forbidden children. The idea of the child Renesmee fascinated me. She would be fifty years old now, as well as her mother. That was only a drop of water in the ocean of immortality, but for them it would seem an eternity.

A thought prickled in my mind that I tried my hardest to suppress, truly. I did my best to keep the thought down, to not let it permeate the rest of my brain. But, alas, my mind is my tragic flaw, if you will. I allowed the thought for only a moment, but that was all that it needed to take hold of me.

_Maybe I should make my own vampire child._It seemed to be the most logical idea after remembering the beautiful toddler. If I was the leader of the Volturi, and the Volturi were the leaders of all vampires, then it surely was my duty to know all that I could about this race of half-human, half-vampires. I dabbled for a minute in the idea of going to the Cullens and just asking about Renesmee and her creation, but I thought it best to leave them alone. And to me, the best way to learn was through trial and error.

In less than a minute I decided my course of action. I was to impregnate a human woman, preferably a beautiful human woman, and wait the month or so until I had my own gorgeous child. I decided that I would change the mother, as a gift of gratitude. Then I would raise the child and learn all that I could about them. I didn't fear anger or ire from my wife. She was remarkably apathetic by now in regards to my pursuit of knowledge. And it wasn't as though I'd have to tell her. I wouldn't tell anyone, save a few guards, guards that could be easily disposed of, if need be.

The next morning was cloudy in Volterra, a rare occurrence. The sun was always blessing our small Italian city with its beautiful rays, which we enjoyed immensely. Mortals would probably assume that we hate the sun because we can't go inconspicuously in it, but it's quite the opposite. I loved the prisms of light that were still thrown from my skin, though dimmed with my age. Alas, those prisms were hardly conducive for a day of mortal watching in my city. I left our tower early, asking the others to stay behind, except for one of the newer guards Savio. He was always hoping to prove himself loyal, and this was the perfect task.

We settled ourselves in the _Bella Café_, whose owner was in accord with the Volturi. I told him that I was taking over Heidi's job for the day, and he nodded knowingly. I left him a three thousand percent tip for our espressos. Many people passed by us outside of the café. I had settled on not picking a foreigner. I figured that an Italian woman would be better suited for an Italian child. Savio fidgeted with the sunglasses that hid his vibrant crimson eyes. He always was fidgeting, a strange attribute for a vampire. Caius had chosen him because our older guards were beginning to lose their strength, and, well, we were somewhat desperate.

"Master Aro," asked Savio, he hadn't lost the habit of it, the rest of us mostly spoke in English, "what exactly are we looking for? Your instructions were rather vague."

I nodded. "Yes, they were vague. Hmm, I suppose I can trust you." I didn't need to look up to sense the glee radiating in him. I leaned closer and said as fast and softly as a vampire can speak, "We're looking for the woman that will carry my child." Savio sat back too quickly for a human. I lowered my glasses to give him an admonishing look, but he was hardly concerned. The shock on his face was most unbecoming for an otherworldly being.

I said gently, "Now Savio, behave yourself. I don't want to have to take you home now." Savio nodded, but stopped looking out at the small throng of people. I continued to watch, not bothering to really make my guard behave. Suddenly, I noticed a young woman across the road. A rare patch of sunlight lit her face and she looked more beautiful than even the immortal Bella Cullen and all of her sisters combined.

She had silky black hair that waved to her waist. This was complimented by her dark eyes and pale complexion. To the mortal eye, she looked the part of a vampire, ironically enough. To me, she was deliciously human though. I didn't see her curves as attractive, but useful. I remembered from long ago that women who were curvier could carry children better, and this woman could use all the help she could get.

"That's her, Savio. Across the street, I want her. Get her for me." Savio looked even more shocked, clearly he still was shaken by the task ahead of us, but he obeyed, of course. He left the café, rushing to catch the woman before she disappeared. I observed the conversation from my seat.

Savio approached the woman and bumped into her, sending the bag of groceries in her hand to the ground. I didn't know before, but Savio was a brilliant actor. He looked the part of a flustered oaf who had embarrassed himself and was now realizing how gorgeous the woman he troubled was. At first she seemed angry, she shouted, the noises of the street rendered it inaudible to me though. She poked his chest, and he threw his hands up. He apologized, and finally the woman seemed calm down. He handed her our card, the address of our castle, but through the main floor, of course. He walked back toward the café, but first he waved over his shoulder his goodbye. The woman smiled hesitantly and continued on her way.

Savio looked as though he had swallowed some bad blood when he returned to me. But I ignored his sour expression and swept us from the café, giving the owner a curt nod. Soon we were back in our tower, nobody the wiser, except Marcus. He saw the turmoil swirling in the relationship between Savio and I, and I knew that it wasn't that way this morning. I also knew that Marcus would do nothing about it. He was little more than a vegetable now these days. I secretly feared that he was coming close to a death that none of us knew anything about. Even though Caius, him, and I were all created at the same time, Marcus seemed so much older than us. As I returned to my seat in the tower, Marcus gave me a dull look, but turned away before anyone could pay attention to it.

Savio whispered in my ear, "The woman said she would come around six, because she wanted to clean up at home." I gave a nod. I also turned to look at Savio. He had been a handsome man, and now an even more handsome vampire. Any woman would easily follow his instruction. I was happy that I chose the right man for the job. His sick expression had relaxed some. Though Marcus wouldn't say anything, Caius would, without a doubt, but he was too busy speaking with Athenodora and only gave me a passing glance.

The time passed slowly now, as I waited for six to arrive. My friends and family began to leave, once we had our meal, to their separate hobbies. First the oldest members besides our trio, Sulpicia, Athenodora left and then the guard followed, Demetri, Felix, Afton, and the others. They left one by one until only Savio, Marcus, Caius, and I remained. Marcus watched the world below from one of the windows in the tower but Caius finally paid attention to the way Savio stood behind me, and my cool expression.

"Brother Aro, why don't you go and read one of your books? With a mind like yours, why should you let it simmer in boredom up here?" Caius may not have had a particular talent, but he was good at trying to trap people. Usually I humored him some, but this time, I didn't want him to be involved in my plans. He had mad it abundantly clear that he didn't approve of Renesmee or any other hybrids. Caius couldn't see the potential in the half-vampires, the way they could actually grow, and eat human food, and go out into the sun, but still had the strength and speed and beauty of vampires. I didn't want to have to explain it to him, again.

I replied dismissively, "Oh, I could, but for now I'm just enjoying rest. Sometimes all I want is to be calm and still." I immediately stilled myself. Mortals would think me dead, because I didn't have to breathe, and I could sit absolutely still for years, if I wanted. But Marcus ruined my plan.

"The relationship between Aro and Savio has changed since this morning." In a flash, faster than I had moved in years, I was at his throat, lifting him from the ground. Though we were all decaying, the Volturi trio was still very much the powerful vampires we were in our youth. Caius pulled me off Marcus, while Savio rushed to my side.

"Aro! What is going on? Since when do you attack Marcus for speaking? You are not the ruler of us, try as you might!" Even though Marcus had waved a hand in forgiveness, Caius was seething. He pushed me against a wall before Savio had time to restrain him.

I growled at Caius, "Let go of me. Nothing is going on." Caius did back away, though I knew it wasn't from fear. Neither he nor Marcus was afraid of me. I rubbed my throat for affect and resumed my seat.

"I'm sorry Marcus; I don't know what came over me." He hardly acknowledged the apology. Caius turned to me, ignoring Marcus and his apathy.

He spoke softly, but his intent was clear, "Aro, tell me what is going on. Marcus wouldn't speak if he thought it was nothing, we know that. What have Savio and you done?"

"We've done nothing," I replied honestly. But my eyes flicked to a clock that was hanging by one of the windows. Caius caught the movement and approached me on bended knee.

"Who're you waiting for Aro? Please tell me, I promise I won't interfere. But you do have the tendency to make silly plans that cause much more anguish for everyone else then you realize."

"Like when you let Bella and Edward leave," Marcus chipped in. I glared at the back of his head. But I relaxed my face before I answered.

I spoke softly, "Honestly, Caius, you don't want to know." That was the wrong thing to say, actually. I don't often make mistakes when it comes to speaking, but we all have our slip ups.

"OF COURSE I WANT TO KNOW!" screamed Caius. Thankfully he didn't grab me again, though Savio moved just in case. I could see that it was two minutes until six. I also knew that I had only two options; either lie to Caius and have Savio intercept the girl before she blunders into this conversation, or tell Caius and risk him ending the experiment before it could even begin. I didn't like either of them, honestly.

"Fine," I said with a sigh. "I'll tell you. Remember little Renesmee?" Caius's eyes popped from his face in shock.

"No, no, no, NO! Aro, PLEASE, don't tell me you are planning on making one of those… those abominations!" Even Marcus turned around in wonder. I was briefly happy that he was showing interest in the matter, but Caius rage sucked that. I rolled my eyes and shrugged off-handedly.

The clock struck six, and I saw Savio clearly twitch towards the door. "He's in on it, too?" Caius shouted again.

"Yes, yes, Savio's 'in on it'. Now, can you please calm down? I have a… friend coming to visit." Just then, there was a small knock on the door. The woman opened the door and poked her head in nervously.

"Savio?" she asked sweetly, before Caius pounced.

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**A/N: **_Hope you like cliff hangers! (Actually there's only like two in the whole story) Leave me a review and tell me what you think!  
-Lasweetie_


	2. Thankfully

**A/N: **_Hello again! Here's the next installment of my story, I couldn't wait any longer to post it! :) I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to the people who reviewed and alerted the story, and thanks again to Clairehasdimples for putting up with my silliness. _

**_Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight characters! I'm just borrowing them ;)_**

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Thankfully, Caius's advanced age rendered him slower than the newborn Savio's reflexes. Unfortunately, the woman still fainted in shock. I lifted her into my arms, not trusting Savio to carry her. The problem with newborns was that they could strike a human down at any moment. Generally I didn't mind that, but I wanted to keep this one alive. I left the room swiftly, ignoring Caius shouts and Marcus's almost enthusiasm.

I brought the woman to a room I had set aside for her comfort. It was Marcus and Didyme's bedroom when we first inhabited the castle. Now it was useless, we used it for guests; we didn't have guests very often. I laid the woman on the bed and made sure to lock the door before I left.

I took a detour back to the tower; I hoped that Caius would have calmed down by then. He hadn't. The moment I opened the door his hands were at my throat again. Savio ripped him off of me, protectively enough.

Marcus stood suddenly and said in a raised voice, "Both of you just calm down. We will talk about this like the three-thousand year old immortals that we are!"

"I'm impressed Marcus, that's the closest you've gotten to yelling in a hundred years." Marcus glared at me as I sat down in my chair, shame-faced. Caius sat down as well, along with Savio and Marcus. It was silent for a moment; Caius spoke first.

"Aro, I beg of you, don't do this! The danger is inherent! What if her family wonders where she went, she runs away once she's given birth, if she lives even, or what if she wants to take the child with her? What if the child becomes a menace or you decide you don't want it? Hmmm? What if?"

"Caius, stop being so negative. There is a lot of good that can come from this. Think about another little one! Maybe it can bring the joy that Jane and Alec stopped bringing years ago! Besides, we should know all that we can about this half-vampire race. What if other vampires catch word of little Renesmee Cullen, and want to make their own? Surely you wouldn't want that! We'll have to know how to stop the children if they get out of control," I listed a large amount of reasons to persuade Caius, but he would listen to none. Savio took Marcus's vacated spot of the window though he used it to pace in front of. Marcus sat in between Caius and me, with his fingers on his lips, thinking.

Two hours later, he spoke, "Maybe Aro is right, Caius. We should know about the half-vampires." I smiled gleefully. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at Caius. Now the vote was two to one, and he couldn't possibly persuade Marcus to change his mind. Caius realized that too; he stormed out of the room. Marcus returned to his seat by the window, displacing Savio and his almost manic pacing, and went back to observing the street below.

I practically skipped from the room to the bedroom where the woman was, to check up on her. She was beginning to stir as I opened the door. I walked to the bed much slower than I needed to, but I wanted her to be able to wake up. By the time I reached her, she was awake and sitting up slightly.

"Where am I? Where's Savio?" She spoke in a panic, but didn't move to leave. That was a good sign, she appeared to be submissive, or, at the very least, a woman who respected authority. I sat down on the bed next to her, unprepared for the feeling she brought out in me.

It wasn't that she was my singer. But I hadn't been in such close quarters with a human that I wasn't planning on drinking from since Bella came to Volterra years ago. I could hear every pulse of her blood running through her neck. She smelled so delectable, my throat prickled immediately. And up close, she was even more beautiful. Her eyes were a dark green, with flecks of gold and brown around the irises and her hair wasn't black, but a dark brown. Her face was in a striking state of panic, but I only saw the small red lips parted. I thought about how beautiful she'd be as a vampire. I realized that this task was going to be a hair more difficult than I had previously thought. But I soldiered on; I took one last burning breath and shook my head before I answered.

I used my most persuasive and calming voice, "All in good time, _cara_, but first, who are you?" The woman looked at me with a strange cocktail of emotions on her face. Suspicion, fear, and compelled attraction looked back at me. Her eyes flickered to mine and fear became the most predominant emotion. She was hesitant to answer obviously. I asked again.

She answered, resigned, "Domitilla." I gave a soft chuckle. Her name meant "tamed". I gave a nod of acknowledgement and then I introduced myself.

"I'm Aro. This is my castle that you're in. Savio is around here somewhere, I'm sure. Would you like me to send him to you once we're done speaking?" Domitilla nodded. I continued, "Now, you're going to be a guest here for some time. That's because I have a very large favor to ask of you."

"You're kidnapping me?" Domitilla was much panicked again, but she still made no move to leave. Which was wise; she would be killed before she could see the outside world again.

"No, no, of course not! You have the choice to stay or not," I said smoothly. The suspicion returned. "Now, to my favor, well, I suppose that I have a bit of a back story to explain before we get to that. You see, my brothers and I are vampires. And I've been very lonely for a long time. My wife and I want a family, but she is a vampire as well. We'd love to have a child, but we can't. I wanted Savio to bring you here because I wanted to ask you to be a… kind of surrogate mother for my wife and me." It was a complete lie, of course, but I thought that that reason might soften her heart. It didn't. Domitilla was horrified. She was rooted to her spot on the bed. A small tear leaked from her eye and I had to consciously resist the urge to lick it off.

In a soft terror-stricken voice, she asked, "Do I really have a choice?"

"Well, it depends on what your definition of a 'choice' is. I'll send Savio in here and he can tell you all of the details. Would you like the night to decide?" She gave another timid nod. Her eyes were no longer focused on me, but the blankets she was sitting on. I thought that I could hear the cogs of her brain turning. I resisted the urge to touch her hand, reading the thoughts of humans almost hurt my head. They were too dim for my vampire mind, blurry and unfocused like dirty glass. Instead, I stood up to leave. "Alright, then I will see you tomorrow, and you can tell me your decision then. Good night, _cara_." I left her sitting on her bed, curling over a pillow to suppress the sobs that threatened to rip from her.

I found Savio still pacing in the tower, but Caius and Marcus had left to their rooms. Though we didn't need sleep, much of us spent our nights in our rooms, whether with mates or by ourselves. Usually I would too, but finding Savio had been my priority.

"Savio, Domitilla wants to speak with you. I told her that you would explain what I want her to do for me." Savio hurried to the door. But I began to talk again, and he stopped in his tracks. "She seems to have a very strong connection to you. Almost too strong to have just met this afternoon…" Savio turned around on the balls of his feet and looked me in the eyes.

He evenly replied, "I don't know how that could be. I didn't think I had a talent for forming bonds, but maybe I do?"

"Come here, Savio." Savio walked forward reluctantly now, and touched his hand to mine. I understood the reluctance. Most members in the guard disliked me reading their thoughts. It was very useful to find disloyalty or lying, which was the only reason I used it. Alec especially hated it, for whatever reason. A lot of the guard thought I would kill them for any little thing, so they tried to think only happy thoughts about me, lest I touch their hand, accidentally or on purpose.

When I allowed Savio's thoughts into mine I saw flashes of this afternoon, but nothing out of the ordinary. I searched his human life, but also didn't find anything of significance. I let his hand go, and Savio stepped back.

"Should I go to Domitilla now?" He uttered towards his feet. I nodded acquiescingly. He bolted from the room. I sat on my chair because I was too excited to do anything else. I knew Savio would tell Domitilla of her choices and that she would choose this favor over death. Most humans would. Something in mortals forced them to want to exist as long as possible. Hence, the draw to become a vampire that Bella had. Sure, she said it was love, but I thought of it more as a selfish need to be alive as long as possible. I understood that want best because I had felt it myself.

The year was 400 BC. Or, rather 400 BCE, I haven't gotten used to the change quite yet. I lived in Marino a short way from Rome. Every morning I walked from my villa, where I lived with my parents, my grandparents, and my younger sister Didyme, to the farm where I worked, owned by a man named Julius. He was a mystery to us field hands, appearing at nightfall to give us our earnings or conduct any other business he had. Once I finished with work for the day, I'd walk back home, staring at the stars and trying to soak in the way they moved. I wanted to learn something new everyday, but work often exhausted me to apathy towards the world around me.

My grandparents died within two months of each other. That's when I began to worry about mortality. My parents were not young either. I was twenty and Didyme was twelve, though my immortal body looks much older than my mortal age. I lay in my bed at night and wondered about when I would die. My search for knowledge switched to the need to find a cure for mortality. After work, I stopped watching the stars, but started going to the temples, praying to the gods to grant me a gift that I thought I deserved.

One night, there was a small commotion at the gates of Julius's home. He hadn't arrived and it was well past sundown. None of us were sure if he was going to come at all. Many of the other workers gave up. They didn't have the patience to wait for our master, or to beg for our wages. But I didn't give up so easily. I bravely marched into his home, looking all around for him. Finally I came upon him in his bedroom. He lazed in his bed; he hardly looked up when I entered the room. I was intensely curious as to why he didn't come out, so I asked him straight out. He laughed softly.

"Are you not Aro, one of the field hands?"

"Yes, I am. I'll ask again, why didn't you come to pay us our wages?" He stood up then. I realized that I had never spent any time with him besides our nightly payments. He was much taller than I realized he would be. His skin was the ice of vampires, but to me it seemed to just be the mark of a rich man. His eyes glowed red in the dark.

"Now, Aro, why can't you go without wages for a night? Did the other hands not," he asked me, all the while inching closer. I began to back up to the door then, fear began to overwhelm my curiosity.

"My family needs the money."

"Do you know what I am," he asked, almost casually.

"Man?"

He scoffed, "Definitely not. I am an immortal." My eyes widened in interest. Julius smiled; his teeth looked sharper than any stone I'd ever seen. "Would you like to be like me?" I didn't nod, or shake my head, but in a moment, Julius had bitten my neck, beginning the transformation.

I never understood the reason that he changed me. Maybe he was just waiting until one worker was brave, or stupid, enough to enter his home. I never got to find out though. When I was changed, he was gone, with only a note scratched into the posts of his bed, explaining what I was. Despite the pain of the transformation, I was glad, ecstatic. I was immortal, forever.

As I sat in the tower in Volterra, I couldn't help but smile at my gladness. I sat in my chair, reflecting on my transformation as I awaited Domitilla's decision.

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**A/N: **_What'd you think? Leave me a review and let me know, it's very much appreciated! Until next time!_


	3. Hell Hath No Fury

**A/N: **_This is a shorter chapter by a bit, but it's still one of my favs! :) Thanks to Clairehasdimples for all the help she gives me. If you like all human, check out her story _Elephant Guns and new beginnings, _it's in my favorite stories on my profile (I think) _

_Anyway, onto the story! **Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight characters! **_

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My pensive mood as dawn broke was ruined by the shriek of Jane. I rolled my eyes and waited a second for her to enter the tower.

"WHO IS THAT HUMAN?" She charged into the room, followed momentarily by Savio. Jane was either in one of two moods, sweetly plotting, or hell-hath-no-fury angry. I didn't need to guess which she was in now. She flew at me, stopping in front of my seat and pointed her hand to somewhere outside of the door. "I smelled human blood, so I went to investigate and Savio stopped me! He said _it_ was 'very important to Aro'! Who is it then? Tell me," she demanded, all in the space of a minute. Sulpicia turned her red eyes towards me in wonder. I hadn't gotten around to telling her about my plans for Domitilla. I glared at Jane and then stood up.

"Everyone! I have a very important announcement to make. Last night, I… invited a human woman to stay in our castle." I ignored the shocked gasps and chatter. Even with the excitement, everyone quieted when I began to speak again, "You all, of course remember little Renesmee Cullen? Well, I was thinking, why not have our own little half-vampire child?" Sulpicia stood up, enraged. All around us the vampires broke into yells some approving, some not. Caius gave Jane a smug smile. Ah, so he tipped her off. Well, he was never one to fight fair. Marcus didn't react.

Sulpicia shouted, "Were you planning on telling us? Or did you just want to wait until one of us found out?!"

"I was going to tell you! Of course! And now I have. The woman, Domitilla hasn't made her… official decision yet, but by seven 'o' clock tonight, we'll know if she's willing to be our surrogate. I want all of you to be there to hear the decision as well." Many vampires quieted down, waiting to hear if I would elaborate. "Now, we are the rulers of vampires, are we not?" Cheers managed to find their way through the chatter. "Should we let some 'vegetarian' coven from America know more than us about our own race? Or the primitive South Americans? I certainly don't think so. That's why I've taken it upon myself to learn all that I can about our existence, so we can never be taken off guard again." The whole room was silent. Sulpicia had sat down, outwardly calm now. I knew that later she would be nagging my ear off. Her special talent was the ability of persuasion, though the only problem was that she couldn't change a person's mind once they made their decision. She was two days too late to change this, though I knew she would try.

Savio quietly slipped from the room as all of the Volturi went back to their business. I sat again in my chair, thinking all was well, until I noticed Jane. She was still glaring at me. Alec was by her side, trying to pull her along, but she wouldn't move. Suddenly, I was struck with the pain that I only wanted to experience once.

I fell out of my chair and began to scream. It was as if my mind was tearing itself apart, tearing my nerves and limbs along with it. I couldn't hear what was going on in the room, or see. My eyesight was completely black. The pain was lifted an eternity later. Sulpicia was at my side, shouting at Jane, while Alec pulled the girl from my sight. I lay on the floor for a moment or two, waiting to gather my mind together to talk to Jane. Once I was ready, I whipped myself from Sulpicia's doting hands and made my way to Jane's room.

I entered without knocking. Jane was lying on her bed, completely still and calm. Alec was sitting next to her on his chair, holding her hand. His eyes were turned in sadness and he hardly noted me when I came into the room.

"I use my power to calm her down," he said awhile later. "It helps her to not think about anything for awhile." My mouth opened in shock. I had never realized that Alec used his power outside of battle, and that it could help soothe Jane. I had given up all methods of soothing Jane besides giving her what she wanted. I sat on the foot of the bed, taking care not to smash Jane's feet.

I replied, "Do you do this often?"

Alec shook his head. "Not anymore. Years ago, when we were dealing with the Cullens, I had to all of the time. She would be in such a rage that she would use it on me. I never minded though." He looked at me and noticed my puzzlement. "I mean, the pain is almost unbearable, of course. But I would rather deal with it and feel her remorse then let her unleash it on others."

"That's very kind of you Alec. But really, she shouldn't use her power whenever she has a fit. She's almost two hundred years old, she needs to behave herself."

Alec nodded and let out a sigh belying his youthful appearance. "I know Aro, I know, but she is so fragile, and she doesn't even realize it." He squeezed her hand. I left them there, a tableau of sibling affection, and made my way to my den.

The very moment I had sat myself in my overlarge chair, Sulpicia burst into the room, speaking as quickly as possible. "So this is what you plan on doing now with your immortality, taking HUMANS off of the streets and using them as experiments! Well they are hardly better than rats, but show some class my dear Aro! I can't believe that you want to make something like that Cullen! We dragged ourselves halfway across the world half a century ago to deal with that monstrosity and now you want to have one of your own? Sometimes, I believe you to be no better than a spoiled child! Like Jane, your dear and precious Jane who attacks when you do anything that displeases her. Now we'll have another little fiend to ruin our peaceful lives here. Remember when it was just the six of us Volturi, happy and immortal and free? Then you had to go and add all of the guard and Jane and Alec and now, and NOW you want to add a little thing! Why does everything have to be so complicated with you?" She said this all in one breath, though she didn't need to breathe again, she did so for dramatic purposes.

"Calm, Sulpicia. I decided to make a hybrid child to… make up for the unpleasantness that Jane now brings us. Think about it, she'll be like the daughter you wanted in our first hundred years. And, she won't be illegal," I guffawed and Sulpicia gave a small smile. She sashayed her way over to my chair and sat on my lap.

Though my wife was my age and had the filmed eyes and powdery skin as I did, she still retained some of her youthful exuberance. She gave my neck a slight kiss and then rested her head against mine.

"Aro, I just don't understand: why now, why not fifty years ago when it was fresh in all of our minds?"

I chuckled before I answered, "To be honest, it wasn't on my mind until a few days ago. I completely forgot about it, imagine that!" Sulpicia kissed the top of my head and laughed with me. She gave me a final squeeze and stood up.

"Is she pretty?" I was caught extremely off guard by my wife's question. She wasn't facing me anymore, her hand lightly touching the books in my personal collection of favorites. I sputtered a bit and Sulpicia stopped moving. "Well," she said, "is she?"

"She's a human Sulpicia!" It was truly the only answer I could think of.

"Yes and humans aren't ogres Aro," she replied, evenly.

I took a moment to comprehend what she wanted me to say, and then replied, "She isn't pretty, no. How could she be? I spend all my days with the most beautiful vampire woman in the world, which is you, my darling!" Sulpicia turned around with one eye brow raised. She gave into her weakness though, vanity. She smiled widely and flung herself into my arms.

Into her ear I whispered, "Now that we have that settled…" She drew back and playfully smacked my chest.

"Aro, behave yourself!" She left the room, giving me a faux glare as she shut the door. I laughed softly and returned to my desk. I flipped open the book that was sitting there, one that I had written when we moved against the Romanians Vladimir and Stefan. I shut it quickly though, not wanting to recount the easiness that it was to overthrow them. I twiddled my fingers and looked at the clock. 8:59. 9:00. 3:00. 5:15. Soon, it was seven. I stood up and walked to the tower.

All of the Volturi was sitting and waiting patiently. Sulpicia gave me a small smile and turned back to Athenodora. I took my place in my official chair, Caius and Marcus flanking me.

Savio entered first and stood aside as Domitilla walked into the room. Her eyes were slightly swollen and her face gaunt. She looked over her shoulder at Savio before she made her way closer to us. She was visibly frightened by the multitude of immortals before her. I looked at them to make sure none were looking at her with bloodlust in their eyes. As I surveyed the group, I noticed Jane and Alec were absent. I thought about sending for them, but I knew the trouble that would cause.

"Domitilla, you have come to make your decision before all of the Volturi," I stated. Domitilla nodded and twitched nervously, looking around her. I raised my eyebrows and spoke to her again, "and?"

"Oh, I… I choose, umm I choose to have the-the, umm, baby, child, uh, thing. I mean, I choose to have the child. Your," she shuddered, "child." She shut her eyes and bowed her head.

"And do we accept her, Volturi?" The vampires around me gave their unanimous accordance, besides Caius. He could barely restrain himself from lunging on the girl again, to end the whole thing. Domitilla gave a small cry. Savio rushed her out before she could begin to sob. Chatter broke out among the guard as they relaxed into their regular selves. I swished over to Sulpicia and bent down to lightly kiss her forehead. She touched my cheek and took my attention with her eyes.

Though she was still next to Sulpicia, Athenodora pretended she couldn't hear Sulpicia say to me, "You don't have to go through with this."

"Ah, but I must. We both know that." Sulpicia looked away and nodded faintly. I left the guard and went to Domitilla's room. Savio was standing outside of the door, waiting. He noted me with surprise. I made a motion for him to move away from the door, but he stood firm.

"You're, you're going to do it now?" he hissed.

"There's no time like the present Savio. Now, move away." With a large amount of reluctance, which I couldn't understand, Savio stepped aside and granted me access into the room.

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**A/N: **_Did you like it? I'd love to hear what you think, constructive criticism is so important!  
-Lasweetie_


	4. Bed

**A/N: **_I'm so so so so sorry for how late this chapter is! My computer completely crashed on Wednesday and I have to try and get this up before it does so again. Thank you for your patience and interest in my story! I was going to leave a little preview of the next chapter at the end, but I can't get my computer to work long enough. :(_

**_Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters!_**

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Domitilla turned quickly once I shut the door. She gave a small sob and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Apparently, she didn't care about saving her dignity. She ran forward and threw herself on the ground in front of me.

"Please, Aro! Please don't do this to me! I'll do anything, ANYTHING if you'll just release me from this agreement! I promise, I won't tell a soul about your existence, or I'll tell everyone, if you want, I swear I'll be loyal!" She grabbed the bottom of my robes and sobbed into the hem. I pulled her up rather roughly and sat her down in a chair by the fire.

I spoke with a false anger, trying to scare her into submission. "Domitilla, you made your decision and it is final. Either you go through with that choice or I'll kill you now." She looked away from me, but still nodded. I pushed a strand of her hair back, trying to subdue her crying, but it didn't help. She shuddered again and jerked away from me. I felt like the Beast in Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's tale. But I didn't try and win her love. I pointed to the bed, which Domitilla walked to reluctantly. I began to remove my robes, but she gave a large cry and buried her face into the pillows.

"How about this, I'll exstinguish the fire, so we won't be able to see each other. Is that better?" She gave a small sound of ascension. I didn't tell her that I would of course still be able to see her. Part of me understood though that she knew that and didn't want to dwell on it. I moved to the fire, snuffing it quickly. I turned back to her and saw her sitting on the bed, unbuttoning her blouse now. She looked towards my direction in despair, squinting in the darkness, but not seeing me.

"Could you come over here? I… I don't feel, umm, right not knowing where you are," Domitilla called out to the left of me.

I replied loudly enough, "Of course." I moved to the bed slowly, or, quickly by human standards. I shed my robes and sat next to the now naked Domitilla. I didn't look at her body much, I though it would just make this harder to do. She laid on the bed, shivering slightly in the cold.

"It'll be alright Domitilla, I promise. I won't hurt you," I added the silent _I hope_ in my head. She didn't seem very convinced that I was trying my hardest not to harm her.

Then, a funny feeling came over me. I was _nervous_. And I was almost never nervous. Why would I need to be? But now, in this darkened room with an undeniably attractive woman, who I had to impregnate without killing, I was nervous. But I wasn't nervous because it was going to be hard. I was nervous because, well I wasn't sure if _it _was going to be hard. I hated to think vulgar thoughts, but I hardly ever lay with Sulpicia anymore. Now that we were older, that didn't seem as important. Sure, we did from time to time, but I wasn't worried about being my best with her, because I was the only man she had ever had.

But with Domitilla, well, there might be greater expectations. I wrestled with the idea of reading her thoughts to know what she had done or was thinking I could do, but I thought that it might undermine the little confidence I had. Instead I turned my thoughts to not killing her.

From Edward Cullen, I knew that this was going to be difficult. It was extremely so for him, even though he had schooled himself not to over-react with Bella. I was extremely careful, making sure not to touch Domitilla anymore than necessary. She still shuddered in disgust. I did my best to think about other things besides the hot, blood-filled human beneath me. Going off on that track could have disasterous consequences. Domitilla stayed silent the entire time, focusing her thoughts on other things as well I assume.

I didn't tear the furniture apart in my climax. I surmised that was lost in the vigour of my youth. When we were finished, I stood up and redressed. I didn't acknowledge Domitilla's crying except to pull the blankets over her body and leave the room as swiftly as possible.

Savio was sitting outside of the door when I came out. He stood up immediately when I took note of him.

"Have you been here this whole time," I accused, to which Savio nodded.

"Just in case things went badly, Master Aro." He bowed his head slightly and downcasted his eyes.

"Hmmm," I mused. "It's done now. So you can stop your worrying. In a few weeks we shall know if it worked." I left the corridor quickly, hoping to get to my room without crossing another soul.

It wasn't late but the whole castle was quiet, or quiet enough. As a vampire I could always hear the goings on in Volterra. I suddenly realized that everyone would have heard the exchange between Domitilla and I. If I could blush, I might have done so at that moment. In my office, I laid my head on my desk, trying to listen for any giggles or chatter. There was none around me, so I relaxed. It wasn't like they were going to make fun of me, the leader of them.

I looked through my books, antsy now. This would be the hard part, the waiting. I was struck with the thought that I was going to have to wait for at least two weeks before I could see any signs of pregnancy. I recalled all that I could from Edward's thoughts, but I regrettably hadn't taken as much in from the before as with the after product. I searched through my library and found the few books I had on biology or child-rearing. I mainly had them as a time-capsule of the day, they were both at least three hundred years old. I didn't think that the basic principles of pregnancy would have changed much, but I realized soon in that they would be of no help. They would be of no help even if it was a mortal child being brought into the world. I threw both of them against the shelf with too much force, the first's binding broke off completely.

The rest of the day I spent in my library, searching through books for anything that would distract me. But when your mind can think of several things at once, it's hard to trick all of it. Eventually I settled in my chair and watched the sun rise over the hills. When hours had passed since my visit to Domitilla, Jane knocked and came into the room, before I could respond.

"Master Aro, I want to talk to you," she said in her angel's voice. Her voice always threw me for a loop. Even as a human it was beautiful, exactly what I'd want in a daughter. Sadly, Jane was now less like my own daughter and more her own woman, just still stuck in her child's body. Then again, she had the temper of a child. She pranced to the seat across from my desk and sat.

"What is it Jane? I hope something you have to say is an apology?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Yes, that was first on my list. Of course, I'm very sorry about losing my temper on you. I didn't mean to harm you, but I'm sure you know that." I reached across and touched her hand. Immediately I was struck by the incenserity of her thoughts. Jane quickly jerked her hand away. "Fine, I meant it. But I still am sorry. I know I need to work on my temper."

I gave a sigh and said, "What else did you come here to talk about?"

Jane furrowed her brow angrily but relaxed it. "I wanted to talk about the… hybrid child you're planning on having. Caius told me that last night the Volturi voted to accept her. But Alec and I weren't there to vote. Which means-"

Before she could finish her thought, I interrupted, "Which means nothing, because it was unanimous besides Caius. So you would have been outnumbered, even if you and Alec voted no. Jane, please let this be. The child will be born hopefully in a month or so, and then in ten years be fully grown! Why do you have to dwell on it? That's a bat of an eyelash for us." Jane crossed her arms angrily, but didn't let her face turn into a pout. I wanted to call Sulpicia in here to persuade Jane, but that seemed a little too obvious.

"Jane please," I pleaded. "I want you to be happy!" She raised an eyebrow. I knew what her response would be. Not having the child would make her happy, of course. I dismissed her then though; I was too agitated to deal with her indignation.

Around three 'o' clock, Heidi came back with our daily intake of humans. I drank with a detached feeling. My mind could only think of Domitilla and her, hopefully, unborn child. Caius noticed my pondering gaze and angrily smacked my head.

"Stop mooning over the idea Aro! She's pregnant or she's not, constantly dwelling on it won't help." I glared at him. Though I still worked on not thinking about it.

Of course, I couldn't not think about it. All that happened in my life was her. I didn't enter her room to speak with her, but I paced outside the door to listen to her breathing. I made sure Savio got her three meals a day, once he told me that humans ate that much, I forget sometimes. I ordered everyone in the castle to be as quiet as possible at night so Domitilla could sleep. I sent Demetri and Felix out for baby books, with names and what to expect, just in case.

Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, Savio would bring me a report of Domitilla's health. We were very excited one afternoon because Domitilla had vomited, but we deduced it was from bad seafood, as opposed to morning sickness.

Two weeks passed with little to report, but one morning, Savio came into the tower, speaking gravely. "Master, I have your news." Somehow I knew that this was it. That it all boiled down to this moment, this report. I shooed the rest of the people from the room, including Caius and Marcus. If I was to learn that she wasn't pregnant, I wanted to suffer the shame in silence.

Savio waited a moment. He took a large breath and said, "She's pregnant."

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**A/N: **_There you have it! I hope it was worth the wait. I'd love to hear what you think! Reviews?_


	5. Sunken

**A/N:** _Hello everyone! Welcome to the fifth chapter of this story. We're almost halfway through! There's a lot more plot planned, but it doesn't really fit with this story, so it'll be a sequel. :) Thanks to Clairehasdimples for being amazing and such, and to those of you who are following the story. I really appreciate it!_

**_Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight-universe!_**

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"She's wasting away Aro," Savio said as we stood over Domitilla, sleeping in her bed. It had been three days since Savio had announced her pregnancy. I had jubilantly run and told Marcus, Caius, Sulpicia, everyone. Most took the news well, besides Caius and of course Jane. She and Alec disappeared for a few hours, but she seemed relatively accepting when they came back for dinner. Caius on the other hand glared daggers into my head throughout the rest of the night. To avoid their anger, I spent much of my time with Domitilla. I visited several times a day, while Savio kept constant watch over her. I allowed him to only because he wasn't as brawny as Felix or Demetri, they could take care of our brunt work without Savio.

The bump of Domitilla's stomach was getting larger every day, but it made me uneasy. She didn't look like the pregnant women I saw walking in Volterra from time to time. She wasn't glowing and round and beautiful. She was gray and her stomach stuck from her like a bad papier-mâché project. Savio's face matched hers, grim and worried, his eyes were almost black. I was momentarily touched by his concern for my experiment. _Why can't Demetri and Felix be like this_, I mused to myself. I turned my attention to the sallow body of Domitilla.

Her breath was shallow, her sleep uneasy. For days, whenever Savio fed her she seemed satisfied for a moment and then promptly vomited it back to him. The whole room smelled like that, to be honest. Savio did himself. We didn't need to shower often because there wasn't much dirt or mud in a castle, but I made Savio bathe at least every other day. I had forgotten how much humans can reek.

Domitilla stirred. She squinted her eyes, and upon seeing me, closed them again and went back to sleep. She hadn't spoken a word to me since I had impregnated her. I took that without indignation; she had every right to be angry with me. Especially now that it was becoming apparent that she might die before the child was born.

I said to Savio, "What types of food have you tried?"

Savio thought for a second and replied. "Eggs, bread, spaghetti, fish, apples, bananas, an assortment of vegetables, but she threw it all up. Even water is hard for her to keep down. I'm at my wit's end!" He sat down by the fireplace with his head in his hands. I looked at the back of his head in wonder.

I asked, incredulous, "You haven't tried blood?" Savio turned and looked at me. His expression was one of disgust.

"Blood? She's a human Aro! Humans don't drink blood." I tapped my foot with impatience.

"And what do half-vampires drink?" Savio's eyes widened and he stood up and rushed out of the room. We had a store of blood in the cellars for prisoners, or if we were attacked and couldn't leave for a few days. I turned around and observed Domitilla again. She gave a moan of pain and her hand lazily fluttered to her stomach. I could see how thin her arms had become in the past few weeks. The fetus was sucking the life from her. I knew the myth of the incubus, but I didn't know it was so horrifying.

I sat down in Savio's recently occupied chair, overwhelmed. I was struck by the emotions I was feeling for this human woman. She was obviously in pain, exhausted, starving, thirsty, and carrying, what was to her, a demon child for me, Hades himself. I was tempted for a brief moment to kill her and end her suffering, but I got a hold of myself. I stood up again and wiped my mind of sympathy. I didn't flinch when she gave another cry of pain. Savio returned with a bag of blood in his hand. He tore it with his nails and rushed to the edge of the bed, but he continued tentatively.

"Domitilla," Savio called quietly. Her eyes opened reluctantly. She looked around the bed until she met his eyes. They weren't dark anymore; he must have helped himself while in the cellar. Domitilla didn't shy away from their crimson red, she never did. She made a sound of acknowledgement. Savio moved forward. He looked at me, concern contorting his face.

"I brought… Aro thought that maybe you should drink some blood because the child might need that. It will help, I promise," he pleaded even before she could protest. She gave a sob, but she still nodded. He leaned forward and tipped the blood into her mouth. She drank it with disgust until her face relaxed. She finished the bag and closed her eyes. I knew it was just my imagination, but I swear I saw her immediately brighten and fill out. Savio was relieved. We waited in silence for a few minutes, praying that she would keep it down. And she did. She smiled at Savio and then gave me a semblance of that. Savio ran and got some more blood and something more mortal to eat.

"Domitilla," I started. I stopped when she turned her face from me, her happiness ruined by the timbre of my voice. "I'm glad that the blood helped." She gave a small nod and a hoarse thank-you. I left the room; Savio almost ran into me in his fervor to return to Domitilla. I smiled at his enthusiasm to help me, it made my job easier. I went to my den only to find Sulpicia waiting for me.

Before she took note of me, she seemed upset, but when I came in she looked at me with a strange expression. "Yes, Sulpicia?" I asked.

She sauntered towards me and buried her face in my clothes. "You smell like blood." She moved her face to my neck, kissing it lightly. I was more confused than aroused by this.

"Is there any particular reason for this? I got the impression that you wanted to _speak_ to me." Sulpicia stepped back and giggled, embarrassed.

"Sorry Aro, I was overcome by the smell. You're right; I did want to speak with you. It's about the hu-Domitilla. She's making all of us uneasy. You should move her to another place, maybe down the road? It's hard for many of us to not take her when we're drinking." I could see the sense in that. I knew she was trying to convince me using her skill, but it did seem to be the right choice. I had never considered the idea of one of the guard losing control, but now it seemed an almost fatal mistake. Especially because Savio and I were beginning to smell like Domitilla because of all the time we spent with her.

"Hmm, that's a good idea Sulpicia. Thank you for making me have it." I chuckled and she smiled. I kissed her cheek and left the room to see what Caius and Marcus thought.

They were sitting in Marcus's room, Caius reading and Marcus lying listlessly. Caius shut his book, Dracula, and threw it across the room. I lunged to catch it. It was actually my book, a first edition signed by Bram Stoker. I knew it was utter nonsense, but I enjoyed it. I was irritated to note that book-throwing was his new way of showing his displeasure. Caius was acting more like Jane with each day.

"What do you want Aro?" he asked hostilely. Marcus turned his head towards Caius and rolled his eyes. I laughed under my breath at his reaction.

"Sulpicia gave me an idea and I wanted to know what you thought of it." Marcus sat up somewhat so he appeared to be paying attention. Caius gave me a look and motioned to the chair cattycornered to him. I sat gracefully and explained Sulpicia's idea of moving Domitilla. Caius rubbed his chin and Marcus counted the specs of dust that filtered in through the windows.

Caius spoke cautiously, "Is she in any condition to be moved?"

"The way I see it, the longer we wait to move her, the harder it will be. She can hardly stand up as it is." Caius nodded and then threw me a curve ball.

"Where will you put her?" I hadn't really considered that. It wasn't as if I could just knock on a mortal's door and dump Domitilla on them. It had to be secretive and very, very, accessible by us and no one else. I thought of what would happen if a mortal came upon Domitilla in the woods. I knew from the behavior of humans that they would try to save her, doing more damage than good. Then they'd call the police, who were somewhat unaware of the Volturi. The police would call an ambulance who would try to move her; all the while she'd be protesting feebly that she wasn't supposed to leave. They'd rush her to the hospital, scanning for broken bones, and then they'd be transfixed by the child within her, if they could see them. They would operate, partly to save her life and partly to fill their bank accounts with the newest discovery in neo-natal science. And then Savio and I would have to come in and kill them-

"Aro!" snapped Caius. "Answer the question! Where are you going to put her?" I stopped my daydream and turned my mind back into the room. I shrugged and played with a fraying end on the arm chair.

"I haven't really decided yet."

Marcus said dryly, "You speak as though there are multiple choices. There is nowhere for you to put her where she'll be alone and safe. Why does it matter, why should we move her anyway? Just because Sulpicia wants you to do so?" I scoffed and rolled my eyes at Marcus, knowing full well that he was absolutely right. I considered why I should move her, besides the reasons Sulpicia told me. I thought of the guard and if they would really go out of control, and then I saw Jane in my mind. The pain she inflicted when she discovered my plan and her obvious anger when I succeeded.

"Maybe," I said, "it'll be best if we keep her from Jane." Caius looked at me skeptically.

"Do you really think Jane would do that to hurt you? She adores you." But I wasn't focusing. With horror I imagined Jane with Domitilla's blood on her lips, my dreams in her hands. I could hear her chiming laugh and her angel's face as she mocked my sadness. I shook my head. _I'm becoming increasingly more imaginative_.

"It's a precaution Caius, that's all. She would hate herself to hurt me so, but she's so volatile. Now, where we put her… hmmm. Oh!" I stood up and pointed at the sky, silently thanking the gods for inspiration. "We could build something! It will only take Demetri and Felix a few days, less with more help. We'll build a room for her, a hospital room, with blood and food and a bed and the birthing supplies. Just a simple place and we can make it… In the tunnels below the castle! She'll be out of harm's way and we can keep a close eye on her." I congratulated myself on my idea, while Caius and Marcus stared at me as though I had just grown another head. "What?"

"There's no room under the castle, Aro. You're being ridiculous. If you _have_ to move her, maybe somewhere in the forest? It's a short run for us, you know that. Anywhere besides under the castle," said Caius, disdain dripping from his mouth like honey. Marcus didn't respond, but he stopped staring at me.

I was indignant that they shot down my idea, so I replied shortly, "Well maybe that could work. I doubt it though." Marcus giggled lightly, not in response to me, but something in his thoughts. I didn't bother to ask. I quickly calculated how far I could run in about two seconds, and how loudly Savio would have to holler for me to hear him, at that distance. I remembered the cell phones that Caius had forced us to buy, as a precaution. I could certainly use those if Savio needed to call me to Domitilla's side.

"Alright," I said. "The forest it is then!" I left the room to find Demetri and Felix.

Two days later, with an irritated Demetri and Felix trailing me, I returned to the tower. They had been supervising the building of the cottage that was now ready for Domitilla to be moved into. I knew that we didn't have anymore than two days until the child would be born, so now seemed the best time to move her. We were going to the tower so that we could choose a few more vampires to help us. I was going to have Savio carry her, but we needed to make sure that no humans came anywhere near us as we transported her the half mile into the forest. Of course, nobody would volunteer for the job.

I announced the need, and everyone shuffled, but they didn't speak. I saw Caius lean into Sulpicia, slipping a small ring onto her right pointer. As quickly as possible she put it into her pocket, but I saw it before she did. I knew it from the jewelry vault that we kept. It was one of Athenodora's old rings, one that Sulpicia loved. I left a breath of irritation leave my mouth. Now Caius was bribing my wife to remove Domitilla? It seemed like he would stop at nothing to ruin this for me.

In the end, I made Marcus come with us, because he never left the castle, Afton because he avoided my gaze when I was choosing the crew, and Alec. I only chose Alec because he was always upset that he was left out of the "grown-up" tasks. So, I was a softy.

The others went down to the back entrance of the castle, which led directly into the forest. I walked deliberately with Savio to Domitilla's room. He twitched nervously.

"Savio, will you be alright with this? I mean, you spend so much time with her as it is, I wouldn't want your control to slip," I said casually, but Savio knew my mind was in a serious place. I didn't worry much for him losing control, even as a newborn he wasn't very crazed. That was several years ago, so he was fairly well in power over his body, but I was still nervous. He gave a nod and set his face into hard lines. I could see the conscious effort he put into keeping his hands still.

Domitilla was told of the plan, and she was sitting up for us. She winced, tugging at the bandages that wrapped her torso, she had broken a rib. Savio lifter her gently, she put her arms weakly around his neck. I was somewhat taken aback. From the parts of the pregnancy that I had picked up in Edward's mind, Bella seemed so much stronger. Or, at least, she tried harder. Domitilla was doing better once we had introduced blood into the diet, but she still seemed weak. I doubted whether or not she would make it through the birth. Bella did, because she had the will-power, the love of Edward, and the whole Cullen family. Domitilla had nobody. I felt her loneliness tug at me.

Savio carried her gently down the hall, but I lead. When we reached the entrance, Marcus's eyes popped slightly, but that was the calmest reaction. Alec seemed disgusted; Afton shouted in surprise, Demetri and Felix shared a look. Savio ignored them and marched through the trees. Because we were walking, albeit it quickly, it took us three minutes to reach the cottage. It was relatively plain. It had a few warning signs around it, a last resort.

The inside was lightly furnished. It only had three rooms, a small sitting room, though none of us needed a seat, a larger bedroom with any tools needed for delivery, and a bathroom. Savio, Domitilla, and I entered the house and the rest of our protection left. He set the swollen woman on the bed, as large at the previous one, but it somehow seemed more clinical in this white-walled room. Savio sat next to her; I checked the room, the third time that day, to see that it had everything it needed. I left them then, returning to the castle in the fading green light.

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_**Next Chapter Snippet:**_

_In that moment, I thought a million things. Every thought crashed into my mind at once, and I couldn't decipher any of them. In my whole existence, there was never a time when my thoughts overwhelmed me. Even as I saw the entire history of others as I held their hand, I still controlled the situation. But then, I didn't know what to think. But I did feel. _

_All I felt was joy. Pure, unadulterated, complete, unattained joy. No person could ever understand the feeling. I wished that I could cry, in that moment. I wanted to spill tears of joy around the whole world, I would cry for years with the ecstasy I was in. I didn't know that I would like to be a parent so much. I never regretted that, not having children. Jane and Alec were like my children, as close to children as I got at any rate. They were young, and I had created them. Really, all of the guard that I had changed were my children. I recalled Edward's thoughts, talking with Bella about the feeling of her heart swelling. I understood it completely, though I didn't have anything to compete with this level of affection. I loved Sulpicia, madly and deeply, but she didn't hold the paramount love in my heart. My child did now. _

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**A/N: **_:) __So, what do you think? Boy or girl? Leave me a review, I always appreciate them immensely. _


	6. Birth

**A/N: **_So this is the big chapter! :D I'm so excited to be at this point in the story, and I'm excited for you to see! This chapter's a bit short because nothing else really fit with it, you know? Thank you to everyone who read and to those of you who reviewed, especially. It's great to feel like I have support. I dedicate this chapter to Clairehasdimples (as usual) because this was her idea!_

**_Stephenie Meyer owns all! No infringement intended_**

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I waited a tense day. Every single movement seemed intensified, more irritating, distracting, startling, or random; take your pick of adjectives. I paced for an entire day. It was the first time I had done that since I had changed Jane and Alec. I was so worried that they were too young to make it through, but they did, obviously. Now this waiting for Domitilla's birth was even worse.

First and foremost, I thought about what gender the baby would be. I didn't particularly mind if it was a girl or a boy. Something that age had done to me was to wipe away my sexism. Female vampires have equal gifts, sometimes even more powerful, to men and I knew that either way, this child would be powerful. I didn't ponder names. I believed you couldn't possibly choose the name of a child until you saw it.

Mostly, as I paced, I thought about Renesmee Cullen. She would be fifty years old soon. Her birthday was in September, and now it was early May. I usually never kept track of the mortal calendar; I still watched the moon and sun though, as though I was waiting for a harvest. Old habits die hard, I suppose. But I was becoming hyperaware of the date as it drew closer to the child's birth.

Renesmee Cullen still was such a mystery to me. Even when I saw her thoughts and her powers, she still was so different. Nahuel's testimony cleared things up, but I was still so curious. What did she prefer to eat? I guessed blood, but I knew she would probably eat human food as well. How quickly did she learn? Did she want children, like her mother? Could anything pierce her skin, break her bones? A thousand questions floated into my mind, a new one popping up with each step.

I took only a small piece of satisfaction from the knowledge that very, very soon I would know all that I could about these crossbreeds. I would have my own child to watch, to listen to, and to record the thoughts of. I had already set aside the book I would use to record all that I could about the child. Like a baby book, but of course there wouldn't be the pictures of their first piece of cake or their first bath. There would probably be no pictures at all, maybe sketches. My mind kept trailing off my topic of Renesmee. Suddenly, a small ring from my pocket brought me back to Earth.

I was out of the castle before it had even finished its first ring. I raced through the forest, quicker than I had run in millennia. The trees pulled at my hair weakly, begging me to slow down, but I couldn't. I knew that in those moments, I was the young vampire that I was two thousand years ago. No, I was the human, rushing home from work to the temple, praying for a different life, something interesting to slake my curiosity. I didn't feel worn and powdery; I was strong and hard as a diamond. My blood red eyes hardly took in the teeming life that my feet hit, though my mind could have kept up. I focused only on reaching the cottage as quickly as possible, to reach my child. I pushed, almost feeling a burn in my muscles. I was at the cottage in under a minute.

The door splintered in my effort to enter the house. Savio yelled at me to grab the towels, the blankets, anything. I entered the bedroom, towels in hand, and saw the floor slick with blood. Domitilla was screaming, writhing in pain. Her hands flew everywhere, her stomach, her throat, her face. There was blood running from her mouth down. The child must have kicked her stomach.

The smell of her blood was strong enough, but with the mixture of the different blood that Savio had put into her in the past few days; it was a cornucopia of smells that mixed in the room. I almost lost control and took her life then, but I squeezed my lungs shut against the beautiful call of the blood that swept from the bed onto the ground. I could visibly see Savio struggling not to breathe as well. He would take a ragged breath every few moments, though he didn't need them. I knew it was only to try and calm himself, holding air in the lungs just proved to make a vampire more anxious.

It was easy to distract us though as Domitilla's stomach thrashed on its own accord. But the woman stopped moving herself. She was calm in the way that a person is when they have to give up. Her eyes were open and rolling about wildly, but she couldn't move her body. A few more cracks saw that she probably couldn't move. Savio put the oxygen mask that sat near her head, on her face, thumping her heart, to keep her going. He struggled to keep composure. He shouted at Domitilla in Italian, but I didn't pay attention to it. I brushed his hand briefly and saw all of his panic, but I didn't get to why. I wasn't very focused on that at the moment.

I stared at the stomach, knowing what I had to do. But I was terrified. I was more afraid than I had ever been. I searched my human life for a fear like this, but I couldn't find any. Of course no human emotion could compare to the feelings I had as a vampire, but I see no need for fear when I am more powerful than everything around me. I knew what to do at that moment, but I couldn't. I dropped the blankets into the blood, with shock at the fear I was feeling. It took all of my strength but I did what I saw in Edward's mind. I leaned down and ripped the bulge as quickly as possible. Domitilla gave another shriek, suddenly aware. I kept going; I reached into her womb, feeling the child in my hands. I pulled the baby out. The heartbeat of it pumped much faster than the mother's, almost like a hummingbird. A baby girl.

In that moment, I thought a million things. Every thought crashed into my mind at once, and I couldn't decipher any of them. In my whole existence, there was never a time when my thoughts overwhelmed me. Even as I saw the entire history of others as I held their hand, I still controlled the situation. But then, I didn't know what to think. But I did feel.

All I felt was joy. Pure, unadulterated, complete, unattained joy. No person could ever understand the feeling. I wished that I could cry, in that moment. I wanted to spill tears of joy around the whole world, I would cry for years with the ecstasy I was in. I didn't know that I would like to be a parent so much. I never regretted that, not having children. Jane and Alec were like my children, as close to children as I got at any rate. They were young, and I had created them. Really, all of the guard that I had changed were my children. I recalled Edward's thoughts, talking with Bella about the feeling of her heart swelling. I understood it completely, though I didn't have anything to compete with this level of affection. I loved Sulpicia, madly and deeply, but she didn't hold the paramount love in my heart. My daughter did now.

The baby, my daughter, wiggled in my hands, already so strong and lively. I cut the umbilical cord and wrapped her in one of the blankets that hadn't fallen into the blood. I washed her off in the sink calmly, smiling at her cries. Savio was shrieking in the background, but I didn't pay any heed.

My daughter, _caramia_, my beloved. I needed to think of a name. I looked at her face for the first time, truly. She had the eyes of her mother, mostly. They were a brighter green, more emerald. There were less flecks of gold, but I liked that. The green was almost completely clear. Her hair was black, like mine, but curly. I didn't know what she would look like as an adult, but now she was the most beautiful child in the world. And destined to be the greatest.

"Maia," I crooned to her. It fit perfectly, _great,_ and she would be majestic. She would be powerful, dazzling, like a vampire but with the charm of a human. She would grow up, I'm sure with some aches and pains, but she would stop eventually, staying at a perfectly young age forever. Eternally flawless. "Juventas," I added. I held her close to me, she gave a happy cry. Juventas meant youth. My great youth, Maia Juventas.

"Do you like that name, Maia?" I smiled as I said it. Savio shouted again and I was brought back into the room, to the dying woman. I didn't set Maia down as I ran back into the other room. Savio was struggling to keep the woman alive.

"Aro, please," he howled. "Help me!" But the heart was nearly still, leaving only the beating of Maia's heart. He bit Domitilla's neck, her wrist, all in vain. It would be impossible to restart the heart if it stopped. I could see no hope in saving her, and I didn't really care. I felt that I should care more, but I was too much imbedded in my bliss to notice the lack of misery.

I said apathetically, "I'm sorry Savio, she's gone." He threw himself against her blood soaked body, pushing her chest till it looked as though it would cave in.

"No, no! We can save her!" He pushed her heart again; a small thump sounded. He glared at me. "Why don't you want to save her? She's your experiment, after all, your daughter's mother!" he shouted, still working hard to resurrect her long enough to bring her into our eternity.

I shrugged. Savio's eyelids opened so wide I would have thought his eyes would fall out. "Savio, if she doesn't survive, it's fine. I have Maia, it's alright. Now, if you can't change her, bury her out back and burn the cottage down?" Savio gave a cry of despair and worked harder now. I didn't understand his concern. I grabbed his hand for a moment, but only saw his loyalty to me as his frenetic attempts to save her. I gave him a smile at that. I wished that every member of the guard felt that. I also noted that maybe Chelsea had done a little to well with her skill. I resolved to mention it to her, when Savio cursed again in Italian. Maia was distressed by his cries. I covered her ears lightly; her hearing was more fragile than a vampire. Savio kept working on the woman, and I left the room quietly.

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**A/N: **_So what did you think? Was it what you expected? To be honest, I loved writing this chapter! Leave me a review and tell me how I did, criticism is neccessary for growth!  
-Lasweetie_


	7. Introductions

**A/N: **_Well this most certainly was my favorite chapter to write. For the most part, it's very fluffy, ye be warned! A huge thanks to the supporters of this story, I love hearing any and all feedback! And to Clairehasdimples for (kinda) making me do a sequel :)_

**_Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight!_**

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I felt some sorrow for the loss of Domitilla, but the joy that was Maia still kept me afloat. I left a desperate Savio and an almost dead Domitilla. Maia seemed to understand what was happening, she stopped squirming. She gave a small cry.

"It's alright my Maia. Everything is perfect now." She looked at me with her emerald eyes, taking my words in. I was amazed at how well she understood; I could see it in her thoughts. She was quickly taking the words I said, making sense of them, building words around them. It was astonishing that she was already learning how to speak, but her body wasn't there yet. It would be a week or so until she really would be able to speak, I figured. Maia didn't realize that I could read her thoughts, her confusion, her fear, her joy that mirrored mine.

"I can read your thoughts, my little Maia. That's your name, by the way. Maia Juventas Volturi." She gave a tiny smile at the name, her perfect white teeth all in a row. My face lit up in response. I was walking now, leaving the thoughts of the delivery room behind. I took the walk slowly, cherishing these first moments with my daughter. My daughter, _my _daughter. _Maybe I should have named her Mia,_ I thought giddily. I reasoned that I could always just call her that if I wanted to. And only I could. She was mine only.

The forest didn't pass by quickly now. I strolled slowly, slower than any human would. Part of my speed, or lack thereof, was I was being as careful as possible with my little girl, but mostly I wanted to enjoy my alone time with her.

"Now Maia," I said as I let her playfully bite my finger. "You have a very long life ahead of you. You see, we're vampires. Well, I am. You, you're something else entirely. You're so different that nothing can match you. You're going to grow up very quickly, _caramia_, but I promise I'll always be here for you. I won't let you be afraid, alright?" Maia's thoughts agreed, but she didn't know what to do. I giggled slightly and continued, "I expect great things out of you Maia. That's why I named you that, of course. It fits you perfectly, or at least, it will. You will be greater than anyone can imagine, I'm sure of it. One day, all vampires will listen to you, but you'll still listen to me, your daddy, right? Of course you will. Why wouldn't you? I can see it now, you adore me. You love me more than anyone else."

I smiled widely and again, Maia agreed. I stroked her hair, which already seemed a little longer. It retained some of its curl. She was losing some of the redness of her birth, her skin becoming pale and glowing. A ray of sun hit my hand on her head. Though I sparkled like a diamond, she radiated her shine from within. She seemed interested in my skin, she grabbed it quickly. Her grip was strong, causing me to laugh in glee. Everything about her was perfect. My perfect angel, _mia _Maia.

I went to my den, waiting in the chair with Maia lying on my desk. Sulpicia rushed in, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"Is this, is this it?" she asked somberly. I smiled brightly and beckoned her forward. She walked softly, taking care.

"Maia," I said to the baby, and she turned her eyes to me. "This is your mother, Sulpicia." Sulpicia stopped dead in her tracks. Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. Her expression was one of shock and gratitude. I gave her a nod and she smiled. Her joy matched mine. She leaped the rest of the space between her and my desk and lightly picked up Maia.

She said in a rush of breath, "She's so beautiful. Hello, baby, Maia?" She looked at me hesitantly.

"Maia Juventas." Sulpicia rolled her eyes and tickled Maia's chin. Her giggle was the sound of a fairy's. Everything about her seemed to be magical. I stood up and wrapped my arms around my wife's waist. She looked down at Maia content. I knew that she always wanted a child, and now she had one. I knew Maia would be good for everyone.

"She's amazing, Aro. And what of-" I put my finger on Sulpicia's lips before she could say _Domitilla_.

"Gone," I whispered quietly. "Don't speak of her." Sulpicia scrunched her eyebrows, but she complied. She cooed to the little girl.

"My daughter, Maia," she said softly. I seized up, Maia was _my_ daughter. I decided to not mention it though. Maia needed a mother and a father and Sulpicia would never forgive me if I took that away from her.

We stood there for an hour, a tableau of blissful domesticity. Maia was peaceful, observing our faces, the room, taking everything in. Her thoughts turned to hunger though, wrecking the happy mood.

I contemplated what to do next. I could take her and give her blood, or Sulpicia could. I fiercely wanted to be there for _all_ of her firsts, but I knew that I needed to address the guard. They were assembled in the tower, waiting for news of the baby.

I sighed with resignation. "Sulpicia, can you go get some blood for Maia downstairs?" She was all too willing. She half jogged from the room, half flew. I rolled my eyes and laughed at her eagerness. But I could not dwell on Sulpicia's happiness to help with Maia; I had to face my coven.

I began the journey to the tower, slowly, delaying the moment, trying to be dignified. Then the pent-up energy and excitement burst from me, I ran the rest of the way.

"THE CHILD IS BORN!" I shouted as I threw open the door to the child. My smile stretched ear to ear and I knew that my eyes flashed in exultation. The women of the guard gave a collective sigh and the men grinned, for the most part. Caius glared along with Jane. Alec rested his hand on his sister's arm, reminding her to stay calm. Marcus whispered to Caius and he relaxed his glower. He gave me a smile as well. Finally, he was happy for me, as a brother should be.

"And what of the mother," asked Jane, petulantly. Of course she would ask of the one woeful part of the story. Not the child's gender, the name, how large she was; no she went for the one thing that wasn't joyous of this occasion.

I was about to answer that I didn't know yet, but Savio entered, as if on cue. "Ah, Savio," I said, clapping the man on the back. "What became of Domitilla?" Savio gave me a look that instantly ruined my jovial mood. I knew that if he could cry, he would be.

"She's dead. I couldn't save her," he said this without emotion, even with the tortured expression on his face. I touched his hand, recounting the events after I left. I saw through a haze, emotions could cloud events, him burying the woman and burning both the birthing cottage and the building we made for her to complete her change in. I let go of his hand, feeling somewhat guilty at the pain that tinged his memories.

I whispered as quietly as possible, so no other vampires would hear, "I'm sorry Savio." Savio gave me a curt nod in acknowledgement.

"May I go Aro?"

I said venomously, "Don't you want to meet her?" I made my point clear. He bent his head down and walked to sit in the throng of the guard. A moment later, and not a moment too soon, Sulpicia walked in, my baby in her arms. Maia reached for me, laughing. Her cheeks had even more color now, a beautiful rose against her alabaster face. Her hair was longer still, now curling to her ears. I held her aloft, swinging her around, magnifying her giggles.

"May I present Maia Juventas Volturi?" The women in the guard stood up and rushed over to me and Maia.

"Oh Aro, she's a doll," gushed Chelsea. Renata beamed, unabashed. Generally she just sat alone in the tower, always such a nervous creature. Now she reached a pale hand to stroke Maia's head. Maia grabbed at her fingers, biting them. Renata gasped and laughed along with the female guard. All of the women talked to each other about children, their nieces, sisters, and in some cases, their own. Sulpicia stood at my side, smiling as a proud mother. Maia was confused with the attention, but she liked it.

Eventually the women settled down enough; I told the men to come forward. They were as taken with Maia as their companions were. Demetri, as hard-hearted as he was, whispered softly in Italian to her. Alec had moved away from Jane, who didn't come to see Maia. He stood on his tiptoes to look at her, and smiled at me when she poked his face.

Felix was especially enamored with her. He waited until the other men had moved away before he came closer.

"Aro, Aro, Aro. She's one hell of a kid." He reached out to hold her. I was hesitant, naturally. Not that Maia could be broken easily, but Felix was a very large vampire, and sometimes forgot his own strength. I relented though, at the look in his eyes. It reminded me of the shape-shifters in Edward's brain. I wondered if vampires had the phenomenon of imprinting. Felix certainly looked like he did. He held the tiny baby in his arms, his face lit up like a firework. Maia smiled up at him; she didn't mind his size. I took Maia back after a few minutes, uncomfortable with the silent exchange that went between them.

I noticed Savio then, sitting at the back of the room, in between two of the thrones. "Savio, come here and meet Maia." He seemed torn between his loyalty to me and his attachment to Domitilla. I made a note to not let him get involved with my projects again if he was going to become so invested in them. He wandered forward slowly, taking in deep breaths. When he reached us, he blankly looked down on Maia. His eyes were completely devoid of emotion, even when Maia gurgled at him in greeting. When he didn't respond, she turned her eyes to me. Her thoughts were a jumble. Mostly she was hurt by his rejection. I immediately wanted to throw myself at Savio's throat and kill him for his disregard towards Maia. Instead I took a step back.

"Savio," I spoke menacingly, "if you can't get a hold of yourself, leave until you can!" Savio was taken aback by my command; he left immediately. Maia gave a small cry at my harsh tone. The thirty-or-so guard members reached forward to try and stop her crying. Maia chuckled at their reaction. Everyone calmed when she laughed. Felix, who had flexed his muscles in anticipation to squash Savio for his rudeness, took a bit longer to settle down. He glared at Savio's retreating frame and cracked his knuckles.

I chuckled gaily. "Felix, calm down. Maia's fine now." He nodded tightly. I beamed at his loyalty to Maia. I could see that they all loved her nearly as much as I did. Jane wasn't sulking anymore, but she still didn't move from her seated spot near Caius. Marcus walked forward now, since everyone else was sitting.

He took one look at Maia and said, "Congratulations Aro." He met my eyes and grinned quickly. The smile didn't reach his eyes, but I took it to be a victory. Getting him to react at all was a huge feat, one that Maia accomplished in only a moment. Maybe she truly was magical. Marcus returned to his seat, his face back to its mask of boredom. Caius stood up now. He brushed a strand of snow white hair back and waltzed to Maia. She shrunk back in my arms. I found that curious, Caius wasn't particularly menacing. Her thoughts were of discomfort. She didn't want Caius near her. I took a step back and her thoughts relaxed some. Caius though, became enraged.

"I'm not going to hurt her," he screamed, rushing forward. Maia cried loudly. Caius stopped on a dime, inches away for her. His face was curious. Maia slackened and watched his face. Caius stood up, but he kept his eyes on her face. His face apologized for his anger.

"I'm sorry little Maia. I didn't mean to frighten you." There was a collective intake of breath from the room, Caius never sincerely apologized. Maia gave a nod, something else that bowled me over. She already understood that nodding meant yes. Only Caius comprehended that significance. He locked eyes with me, concern permeated the milky irises.

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**A/N: **_What'd you think?! I'd love to hear from you! Oh, and if anyone's interested, I think I'll post the actors/actresses that I see when I write these characters.  
Toodle-loo,  
Lasweetie_


	8. Snapshots

**A/N: **_Hi, hi, hi! As the title suggests, this is a series of short blurbs about different points in Maia's first year. I wanted to synthesize her childhood with keeping in as much as possible. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I sure did! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I love you guys!_

**_Stephenie Meyer owns all Twilight characters and the Twilight-verse!_**

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"Daddy, what's a human?" Those were Maia's first words. We were in her playroom, well one of them. We were sitting on her floor, building a replica of the castle in the faux stone blocks that Sulpicia had bought for Maia. She preferred this one; everything in it was a light green, including the bookcases and toy boxes. Once the guard had seen Maia, they threw themselves into redecorating ten rooms in the castle for her. It had only been a week since she was born.

I was knocked back with her first words. First of all, _Daddy_ was her literal first word. That caused me a greater happiness then I thought it would. Secondly it struck me, only a week? Really had it only been seven days since Maia came into the world to me? She was larger by a huge amount; she looked more like a year old babe and not a week old. Her hair reached past her shoulders, wavy, thick, black tendrils that were too grown up for a baby. Right now she kept it up in a bun; the Volturi women fought over who got to style her every day. The general changing routine was once every two hours. I was always sending out Jeremy, our newest secretary, to find the latest baby fashions, or else he would call major designers to rush new clothes to us.

Maia stared at me with expectant eyes, large and emerald green, awaiting my answer. I had kept her waiting for two seconds, much too long in her mind.

"Ah, well a human is a mortal. The people that come and visit Mommy, your aunties and uncles, and me, those are humans." I was satisfied with my answer. We had decided that Maia wouldn't join us in the tower for meals until she was much older. I didn't want to scar her. We gave her bottles filled with blood instead.

"And we eat humans, right?" My mouth made a perfect O. I forgot that she understood much more than I expected her to.

"Erm, yes. Vampires… eat humans." Maia looked at her cup, abandoning the almost perfect replica of our castle that sat in front of us.

"Is this a human's?"

I replied with hesitance. Technically, it was donated blood, but we killed the people once they had donated their pint. "It was donated willingly, _caramia_, don't worry." I patted her hand. Maia gave a shrug and went back to building the castle.

* * *

"Come here _mia_, it's time to measure you!" Maia ran into my outstretched arms and laughed merrily. She loved to be measured because she saw the joy her growth gave me. She was five months old, to mortal eyes she was six years. She was wearing her favorite dress, the only one she didn't allow to be thrown away after she wore it. It was sunny yellow, making her skin less pale and her cheeks ruddier. I didn't have the heart to tell her that soon she'd have to give it up; her growth was slowing, but in a week she'd probably already have outgrown it.

"Hurry up Daddy! Felix and I want to have a race," she said, impatiently. Felix smiled in the background. He was helping me with Maia immensely. He tested her physically, racing her, seeing how high she could jump, the ease with which she climbed. I helped some days too, but she still regarded the tests as a game, and as she said once, "When Daddy's around, it's business!" I didn't mind watching from afar though, I loved to see her happy.

I circled the tape around her head, smiling at the numbers. I was thrilled to see the difference every time. I recalled the numbers perfectly, I would write them down later in her book. Once I finished measuring her, I walked outside with her and Felix.

"Ready, J?" Maia stuck her tongue out at Felix. He insisted on calling her Juventas because she "would always be little". I only hoped that that opinion didn't change anytime soon. He was the only one I allowed to call her Juventas. I could see the growing bond between them, and I didn't want to get in the way. Maia spent most of her time with Felix, I allowed that as well. He didn't treat her like a dress-up doll, or the experiment she was intended to be, like "Uncle" Caius did.

When Maia wasn't playing with Felix, being changed, or measured, Caius put her mental capabilities to the test. Each day she memorized a long list of words, which she spelled and defined, always perfectly, to Caius the next day. He made short notes in her book, trying to catch any errors, but she never had any. He also assigned her a new work of literature to read. This week, it was A _Midsummer Night's Dream_.

Maia quoted as she skipped in the forest:

"_Over hill, over dale,  
Thorough bush, thorough briar,  
Over park, over pale,  
Thorough flood, thorough fire,  
I do wander everywhere,  
Swifter than the moon's sphere_!"_  
_

"Maia that was a wonderful recitation. But," Maia's smile at my compliment turned to a frown, "don't forget the meter darling as you say it." Maia rolled her eyes at me. She didn't like much to be corrected. I gave her my "warning glance". She smiled apologetically and re-recited the passage, perfect this time. Felix laughed and swung Maia about in his arms. That was his general reaction to anything that she did well. Maia loved to fly through the air, I swore that she was meant to have developed wings.

"_Molto bene_! You, Juventas, are the Fairy Queen!" Maia leapt agiley from his arms. She stood and faced him, hands on hips.

In her clear fairy voice, she said, "Then let us have a race, fair Knight Felix, and see if you can beat me!" The pair rushed away from me, Maia's giggles and Felix's guffaws mixing the farther they went. I sat on a gnarled stump to wait for them to return. I was keeping time in my head. Felix reached me first as always, but Maia raced in only a second after him. Every race the pair conducted Felix raced much slower than he could have, but he wanted Maia to feel as though she had a chance. Now, he would have to start racing faster, Maia was keeping up. We walked back to the castle, Felix teasing Maia for her loss. She responded by poking him with every sharp rock she could find. The first ten or so, he didn't notice, but when she stamped her foot in anger, he began to act as though they were stabbing him. I rolled my eyes; they were too ridiculous sometimes.

* * *

Two months passed. One day Caius called out to Maia and I. We entered his room, Maia's desk was already set up with the new list. She sat down obediently, pulling her curly hair out of her face. She had cut it so it didn't get past her waist, if she let it grow I was sure it'd be to the floor.

Caius prompted Maia and she recited all of her words from memory, definitions perfect and complete as well. He smiled and clapped for her effort. He motioned to the new list, and she ran her eyes quickly down them. She stopped at the sixtieth word.

"Uncle Caius, I've had this word before." She pointed to _deteriorate_. "Four months ago, it was on my list. Do you really want it again?"

His eyes grew bright. I suspected a trick. "And you perfectly remember it?"

Maia rolled her eyes. "Of course I do Uncle Caius! Deteriorate, d-e-t-e-r-i-o-r-a-t-e. To deteriorate, verb, to make or become worse. Did you mean to put this on the list?" she asked again.

"Oh hmm," Caius was obviously playing along with what Maia expected. He tapped his chin and then pointed at the ceiling, as if he had just remembered something. "No I didn't! You're just too clever for me, Maia. Why don't you go on and play with your toys, I'll make you a new list." She just gave a shrug and ran from the room, heading down the stairs to one of her playrooms.

"What was that about Caius? I know you didn't just forget that she had it before." Caius smiled and laughed happily, it sounded more like a cackle.

He said through his joviality, "Of course I didn't forget, Brother! I wanted to see if she'd remember. I wanted to see how far back her memory reached. Any one can memorize a list one day and recite it the next, but months ago? I think she has perfect recall!" I caught on then. I was overjoyed to think that Maia would remember everything in her life. All too soon, I'd realize that that talent, was a curse.

* * *

"Daddy!" Maia ran into my room as I filled in her latest measurements. It was two days before her first birthday. She was wearing one of her older dresses, she hadn't grown much physically in the past few months. Though it pained Sulpicia to do so, she allowed Maia to keep the clothes she wanted to. I personally thought the regularity would be helpful to her. Even though Maia still appeared to be around six or seven, her mind was much closer to fifteen.

"Yes _mia_? What's the matter?" I could tell from the timbre of her voice, she was upset. Like with Jane before her, I did anything to please Maia. But unlike Jane, Maia wasn't demanding, nor did she physically harm me if I turned her down.

Maia entered the room, her face streaked with tears. In a flash, she ran into my arms and sobbed into my neck. "Oh darling, what's wrong? Shhh _mia_, don't cry!" I stroked her alabaster hair and waited until the tears subsided. I touched her hands and saw what was troubling her. It took all of my willpower not to recoil.

She was remembering her birth. I saw myself in her mind, smiling down at her. I saw Savio again, looking more frantic and hopeless in Maia's thoughts. And I saw Domitilla, her name unspoken for almost a year, thrashing about, and her eyes opening for one second, looking into Maia's eyes directly. The thoughts ended there. I jerked my hand away, but Maia didn't notice my sudden movement.

"Daddy, wha-what was that? When did that happen?" I hesitated. I looked into Maia's emerald eyes and saw her confusion. Nobody in the Volturi had mentioned Domitilla's name, as I asked them. I remembered when Caius and I discovered that she had a perfect memory. Now my joy was coming back to haunt me.

"Daddy?" Maia asked, more impatiently. "Who is that woman?" Her eyes were dry now, the sadness replaced with irritation.

"What woman," I said soothingly. Maia pulled away quickly. She stood up in front of me with her arms crossed.

"What woman? What woman? How dare you! You know what woman I'm talking about!" She grabbed my hand and thought only of the face with the piercing eyes. I flinched at the blood covered woman, gasping for air. Maia thought only of that and wouldn't let go of my hand when I tried to remove it.

"WHO IS SHE?" She shouted as she finally let go of my hand.

"She's not important _mia_, don't worry about her. She's nobody! She's gone," I whispered that last truth. Maia's jaw dropped in shock.

She whispered back, "She's… dead?"

"Yes _mia_, she died after… After she gave birth to you." Maia fell to the ground. Her green eyes met mine, confusion pulsing through her veins.

"That's my mother? But… but I thought- I thought Sulpicia was my mother. You told me she was my mother!"

I crouched down, holding Maia's hands in mine, but I ignored her thoughts. I didn't want to see her confusion and anger. Her curly hair framed her angelic face, making her sadness even more poignant. I never cared if I lied to a person. I lied straight to the face of Renesmee Cullen without flinching. I lied to Sulpicia, Caius, Bella, Edward, the Romanians, everyone. But I almost couldn't stand to lie to my daughter.

_It's for her own good_, I told myself. I took a breath, it quivered so slightly, too lightly for Maia to notice. "Maia, that woman was a bad woman. I loved her, and she told me she loved me, too. When she was pregnant with you, she told me that she had lied, that she didn't love me. She died giving birth to you; Savio and I couldn't save her. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to know that she didn't love you. I'm so sorry _mia_, but your mother didn't love you." I tilted her chin up to meet her eyes, but Maia looked away, her tears returning.

"Oh." Just one little syllable and my heart broke. Maia quietly got up and ran from the room, ignoring my pleas.

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**A/N: **_Loved it? Hated it? Tell me what you think, all reviews (especially constructive criticism) are appreciated! Oh, and I'm going to start posting the pictures of characters soon, I've been super busy this week though! Final week of school for me, tres stressful!_


	9. First

**A/N: **_I know I'm early, but I just couldn't wait to post! :) I really love this chapter, it's very very fluffy. Actually, most of the rest of this installment is fluffy. The angst comes later ;) Thanks to those that review and those that don't. And to Clairehasdimples for reading every chapter for me, to make sure I don't suck. :P Also, I put up the pictures of my dream cast, mostly. Hope you enjoy!_

**_Stephenie Meyer is the best, because she owns Twilight and all!_**

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The light filtered through the eastern windows of Maia's room. The room was a light periwinkle, Maia chose the color herself. She lay in her giant bed, sleeping peacefully. I sat quietly on the end of her bed, watching her slumber. I loved watching her sleep, the steady breath, and the unintelligible mumbles in accordance with her dreams. Her black hair framed her face, which was smooth in her easy sleeping.

I decided it was time to wake her up. "Happy birthday, Maia," I said quietly, stroking her raven locks. She opened her eyes groggily, rubbing the sleep from them. She gave a perfect yawn and then my words sunk in. She leapt forward and threw her arms around me.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Maia no longer was perturbed about what I said concerning Domitilla. She hadn't mentioned her at all in the following days and I vowed not to bring it up.

"This, _mia_, is for you." I took the present that I was hiding behind my back and placed it in Maia's lap. She smiled widely and shook the box. She waited a moment, looking at me for approval.

I motion at her, saying, "Go on, open it!" Her eyes twinkled as she ripped the paper from the present. Once the box was open, she saw the beautiful emerald and diamond necklace. It was a flowered pattern, on a silver chain. Her hands flew to her mouth. She sat silently for a minute and then looked at me, happiness all over her face.

She said, "Oh, Daddy it's amazing!" She threw her arms around me again. "Can I wear it, really?" I laughed at her question.

"Of course you can! It's my present to you. Happy first birthday, _mia_." I slid the necklace around her delicate neck. She pulled her hair up into a bun and ran to her mirror to look at it.

She said, a little breathlessly, "It's perfect. Thank you so much Daddy! Where did you find something this gorgeous?"

"Ah well, I mean…"

"What?"

"I bought it awhile back for you." I smiled forcibly. Maia shrugged and went back to petting the jewels in the mirror. I didn't really want to tell her that I had it in my private store of jewelry since the earlier nineteenth century. Maia spun around, watching her reflection as she went.

"I know just what to wear!" Maia ran into her overlarge closet, searching through her hundreds of dresses for the right one. She came out dressed in a white summer dress, perfect for a baptism, I thought. If only I believed in a Christian god. It was hard to believe that God would let go of an angel as perfect as Maia. She stood waiting expectantly for me to compliment her outfit.

I tsk-ed. "Maia darling, I'm afraid that you're too pretty for that necklace, I think I'm going to have to take it back!" She grabbed at the necklace in faux surprise. Her cheeks reddened as she laughed.

She bounced to the door, throwing it open and shouting, "Never!" She giggled and ran from the room. I snickered and made to chase her. She ran lithely up to the tower and into Sulpicia's arms.

"Ah here's my angel!" Sulpicia danced with the birthday girl. "Oh that necklace is gorgeous! I completely forgot that we had that!" She touched the jewels and raised an eyebrow at me when Maia wasn't looking.

"Mom, where's Felix?" Sulpicia rolled her eyes. However accepting of Felix and Maia's friendship I was, Sulpicia disapproved extremely. She'd never really liked Felix, what with his hulking frame and habit of winking at girls. Maia picked up on Sulpicia's displeasure. "Can you just leave it be for once, Mom? It's my special day."

Sulpicia pursed her lips. She absentmindedly patted Maia's head, replying, "Alright dear. I won't say anything." Maia leaned forward and kissed Sulpicia on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mom." The pair twirled around some more. I watched from my chair. Athenodora took a turn dancing with Maia, laughing when Maia insisted on performing some ballet. Before her performance ended though, Felix came in.

"Come here birthday girl!"

"Felix!" Maia ran from her pose and into Felix's arms. Her hugged her tightly and set her down, also crouching to the ground.

"I got you something, I couldn't wait until tonight!" He produced a small box and Maia jumped up and down excitedly. I felt myself move forward slightly. I checked my body before anyone could notice the movement. I realized that I had moved forward in jealousy, such a petty emotion. Of course other members were going to buy Maia presents, they all adored her. I had no reason to be envious of Maia and Felix's relationship. I would always be her best friend, her father. I settled back in my chair, watching Maia open the present.

The box was small and unwrapped. Maia opened it curiously, slowly lifting the lid so as not to ruin the surprise. She looked into the box and back at Felix, confused.

She lifted a large iron key out of the box. "A key? What's it to, Felix?"

Felix smiled impishly. "Well come with me kid, and I'll show you!" He swooped up Maia into his arms, much to her delight and left the room. Sulpicia and I followed. Felix led us out into the forest until we came up to a high gate. It was a large wooden door with twisting metal designs. He let Maia down onto the hard dirt. "Go on, open it!" I frowned at the repetition of my words. Maia stood up on her tiptoes and slid the key into the corresponding iron lock. With a slight struggle, she turned the key and pulled open the door.

She stood in the gateway in astonishment; I lightly pushed Felix aside to see what was inside. Behind the gate was a huge garden, rose bushes, carnations, poppies, every sort of flower imaginable. There was also a large blank expanse of dirt for future things to be planted.

Felix explained to us all, "I know how much you love flowers and gardening J, and I wanted you to have a place to do it. I've been planning this for_ever_, so you better love it!" I was puzzled to hear that Maia liked gardening; she'd never mentioned that to me. The jealousy I felt earlier returned. Maia hugged Felix and then ran into the garden, gushing about the different plants and what she wanted to add to the utopia. Sulpicia went in as well, murmuring softly about the beauty of it all. I stalked silently back to the castle.

We planned a huge fête for Maia's birthday. The guard outdid themselves as they decorated our seldom used banquet hall. Almost everything in the room was gilded in gold. The whole room shone like the sun. I stood with Sulpicia on my arm, waiting for Maia to arrive. I was wearing something besides my black cloaks, my black dress suit. It was from 1850, all black. I preferred the stiff style of it. Sulpicia was stunning in a floor-length red ball gown. It matched her crimson eyes perfectly.

"Aro, relax." She placed a hand on mine, which had been fiddling with the buttons that lined my suit. "It'll be fine, I promise, dear." She kissed my cheek and turned back toward the staircase that Maia would descend down soon. Felix stood near Afton and Chelsea, looking excited. He spent all afternoon talking about how much fun this party would be. There was hardly any reason to celebrate, which Felix bemoaned constantly. I did my best not to glare at him, but I slipped once… or twice.

"Brother Aro, I can't believe it's already been a year!" Caius sidled up to me, his arm wrapped around Athenodora's waist. He had been upset earlier when I forbid him to test Maia today; I wanted her to have the day off. Now he seemed too nice.

I accused jokingly, "Caius, I hope you aren't plotting anything." Caius laughed.

"Always so suspicious! I wouldn't want to ruin Maia's big night." I believed him then; he was as taken with Maia as the rest of us were. He stood next to me and Marcus came too, not bothering to say hello.

"May I now present, Miss Maia Juventas Volturi!" The page that we had hired specifically for this event, bellowed. The whole room lingered in silence. Then she was at the top of the stairs.

She was a vision, truly. Every moment I found myself comparing her to angels or to fairies, but now she transcended all of that. She was a goddess, a pint-sized goddess. Even the hard-hearted Jane gasped a little in awe. Maia floated down the stairs in her cream gown. Her hair was loose and down to her waist, vibrant and alive in the golden light. I saw her green eyes take in the whole room quickly. She smiled brilliantly and we all burst into applause and cheering. She ran down the rest of the steps and into my now outstretched arms.

"All of it's so wonderful Daddy, thank you!" I felt some tears drop against my neck as Maia squeezed me tightly. "I feel like a princess," she shouted for the whole room to hear.

Demetri responded, "You are a princess! The princess of all the vampires! All hail Princess Maia!" More cheers erupted. Maia got down from my arms and embraced Sulpicia, Caius, Marcus, everyone in the room, one by one.

The music started then, light and lively dances. The vampires fell into the dancing easily, our grace made it easy to pick up any dancing instantly. Maia danced with Felix, insisting on keeping her feet on the ground and him bending over to match her height. Sulpicia giggled at the pair and swept me onto the dance floor.

"Aro, our life it divine, truly. I never thought I could be so happy. Did you?" I shook my head at Sulpicia's question. She smiled radiantly, looking centuries younger. Her skin didn't look as powdery in the gold glow of the ball room and her eyes were bright, not cloudy.

"Sulpicia, Maia's been good for you. You look younger than ever." Sulpicia smiled and tucked her head into my chest as I swirled her around.

"May I cut in?" Maia stood near us, tugging on my suit. Sulpicia and I parted happily and I pulled my little girl into my arms. She allowed this with me; I never had to treat her like she made the others treat her. My envy was abated.

"You'll always be _mia_, right Maia?" I asked this only for good measure.

She laughed kindly, "Of course Daddy! I'll always love you best of all!" She hugged me tighter and I felt the peculiar sensation of wanting to cry, but not being able to.

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**A/N: **_La la la la laaaa! Reviews please?  
-Lasweetie_


	10. Mimic

**A/N: **_Wow, so we're almost to the end! This is the second to last chapter. But don't worry, it doesn't stop there, I've already begun writing the sequel. :D Thanks to those of you who review and follow the story, I do this for you!_

**_Stephenie Meyer owns all! _**

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Maia lounged on Caius's chair in the tower, utterly bored. She twirled a long strand of hair on her finger, watching it bounce back once she let it go. The rest of the guard lazed in the room. Some spoke to each other, or like Caius, watched the streets below. Marcus appeared to be counting the dust mites in the air. It was a hot day, not particularly bothersome for a vampire, but I could see it bothered Maia. She didn't sweat often, but her cheeks glistened more than usual.

It was days after her fifth birthday and it hadn't gone very well. We had the usual splendid ball, complete with all new outfits, new décor, everything that Maia wanted. But Jane had thrown a temper-tantrum when I unveiled Maia's birthday present. It was a large emerald pendant. Jane never could put up with anyone getting presents, even if it was a birthday present. Or, in Bella's case, a wedding present.

Jane sat near a window, arms crossed, glaring at Maia. Jane's envy became more apparent as Maia continued to grow. Once she had surpassed Jane's biological age, Jane increased her childish scowling. Now that Maia was physically fifteen Jane could hardly stand to be in a room with her. With each day, Maia became more fed up with Jane's ire. Maia wasn't a particularly patient girl, seeing as almost every Volturi waited on her hand in foot, she didn't deal well with resentment or dislike. It seemed that Jane's fit at her party was the second to last straw.

For Jane, this fifth birthday present was _her_ last straw. "I don't understand why you keep giving her presents!" Jane burst out of her chair and jumped in front of me, screaming into my face, "What about my birthday? We NEVER celebrate it!"

"Come off it Jane, you're being so infantile," sneered Maia. She finally stopped playing with her hair and she sat up, challenging Jane with one eyebrow. Jane rounded on her with a murderous gaze.

"What. Did. You. Say?" I motioned behind Jane's back at Maia to apologize, to stay quiet, anything. Caius was standing next to me and moved forward in excitement. I disapproved of his constant wish to see Jane provoked. The rest of the guard that was basking about the tower watched the confrontation.

Maia ignored my silent requests. "I said you're acting like a child. Just get over it. We don't celebrate your birthday because you don't get any older. I'm the only one that's growing around here, ok?" I resisted smacking my forehead with my hand.

As I expected would happen, Maia fell out of her chair, shrieking in pain. For a brief nanosecond, I thought she deserved it. She did provoke Jane, but soon my paternal instincts kicked in. I knocked Jane over in my effort to reach Maia. My bumping of her distracted Jane enough, Maia stood up before I reached her.

"YOU BITCH!" She shouted. I was taken aback by her cursing; I certainly never taught her those words. I shot a quick glower at Felix. As I did, Maia leapt forward, quicker than I'd ever seen her move, grabbing Jane's hands. Abruptly Jane dropped to the ground, screaming as though she had been burned. I pulled the frightened Maia away from her while Alec held his sister back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, I'm sorry," Maia sobbed as I restrained her. I loosened my hold on her, letting her slump to the ground. Sweat had finally broken out on her brow, pasting her hair to it. Tears raced down her glowing cheeks. I was torn between her moans and Jane's mortified expression. I moved to Jane, deciding to let Maia rest.

"Jane, what happened? Please tell me," I pleaded. I moved her chin to try and meet her eyes, but she wouldn't let me.

"She used it- she used it! Against me! I can't believe- I didn't think anyone else could!" Jane was as incoherent as Maia was. She was struggling against Alec's arms, enraged, but she knew not to use her power.

I replied using all of my patience, "What do you mean?"

At last Jane glared right into my eyes. "I felt what I did to others. It was like she was burning me, as soon as she touched my hands!" I took in the implication of this. I had never been scorched by my daughter's touch, nor had anyone else she came into contact with. She certainly didn't look malevolent, wilted against a chair, sniveling.

I asked cautiously, "Are you sure that it was like your power Jane? Maybe you imagined it…"

Jane bared her teeth. "IMAGINED IT? You think I wanted to imagine the pain I inflict on others? Have you gone completely insane Aro?" She strained harder against Alec's hold, but he didn't let her free. I turned my attention back to Maia. Her green eyes were distressed.

"I didn't mean to do it," she whispered, soft as snow. "I don't know what happened. I just grabbed her hands and I wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine…" An idea formulated in my head, but I didn't want to say it out loud.

"Did you specifically think of doing to Jane what she does to others?"

Maia thought only for a millisecond, though she then nodded hesitantly. "My exact thought was 'I wish I could hurt Jane like she hurt me'. I'm really sorry Daddy," she added. I waved her apology away.

"Marcus! Come here!" He raised a crinkly eyebrow and wafted forward. He hadn't been excited by the Jane and Maia debacle, his boredom was in its usual place. "Sulpicia, you too!" She was visibly upset by our daughter being hurt; if she could shake, her hand would have been trembling as she reached for mine.

"Maia, _caramia_, can you stand up for me," I asked in my sugar-coated voice. She stood up slowly, wiping the tears off of her face, stealing quick breaths. "Now, stand right next to Uncle Marcus, as close as possible, yes just like that. Now, can you see the relationship between your mother and me?" I held Sulpicia's hand tighter. Maia squinted in strain, staring at us.

"No, I can't," she finally relented, disappointed. I tapped my chin with my other hand as I thought.

"Try holding his hand now." Maia held Marcus's hand somewhat reluctantly, which didn't elicit any reaction from him. "Try again please."

She responded immediately. "Loyal, loving, slightly unbalanced. Strong, but strong because of time, not real compatabil…" Maia trailed off in astonishment. I beamed widely; Sulpicia stole her hand away and used it to cover her mouth in surprise. The whole guard, who had begun to watch intently, started to murmur and gasp in awe as well. Marcus glanced at Maia and slowly removed his hand from hers. His mouth dropped open in a small o of surprise. I was shocked by his shock. Caius was equally as stunned, his eyes were so wide I thought briefly that they would get stuck. Felix walked forward, pushing his way through the newly energized vampires.

"What does this mean, Aro? Can J do what Marcus does?" My grin stretched even more and I clapped my hands.

"No! This means that my daughter is a mimic!" I ran forward, no longer able to contain my joy, and roughly seized Maia into my arms. The guard rejoiced at the revelation, even though more than half of them understood what she was the moment she took Marcus's hand. Maia looked vaguely confused and Jane, scandalized.

She managed to choke out as I squeezed her, "Daddy, what's a mimic?"

I set her on her feet then. I constantly forgot that she wasn't a vampire as old as the rest of us, that she didn't know our lore and tales. "My sweet, amazing, beautiful, talented Maia! A mimic is a vampire who can use the talents of others. You can use any other vampire's talent, just by touching them! The most powerful vampires _ever_ have been mimics! Maia Juventas, you are one of the most powerful beings in history!" Maia joined my smiling and the cheering of the guard.

"Really?" I nodded enthusiastically and trotted around the tower with her. She joined my step, floating around the room with me, laughing gaily. Jane and Alec slipped from the room; Jane was too disgusted by the discovery of Maia's talent to be happy. We had almost given up on finding her skill. In five years it had never shown itself. Caius put her through many tests to uncover it, but we never dreamed that it would be replication.

Felix pulled Maia from me, embracing her for a little too long. I raised one eyebrow behind her back and he released her, patting her head slightly, instantly chastised. My happiness was so great though that I didn't truly mind his hug. Just as long as he pretended that he still saw Maia as the little girl she once was. Maia smiled at him, she clearly didn't see him as a big brother anymore. I tried to ignore the glances and focus on Maia's talent.

All afternoon we tested Maia by having her touch every hand and use that vampire's talent. She read my mind several times, enjoying to see her own thoughts in it as well. She also took Sulpicia's skill and successfully convinced Caius to buy her a yacht for her tenth birthday. Maia enjoyed the attention immensely; she didn't stop her grin for hours. Around midnight she began to tire, and I let her go to bed.

The vampires left the room, too, going to their own for a night of thinking. The idea that Maia was a mimic was dazzling; many had not met a real imitating vampire before. Only Savio remained two hours later, sitting in the opposite side of the room as me.

"How do you like that, Savio? My daughter, a mimic. I still can't believe it," I spoke conventionally. Savio really hadn't spoken to me much since Maia was born. Part of me understood now that his feelings towards Domitilla had grown much more in that short time than I had believed them, too. But the rest of me was mostly irritated at his silence.

"Oh, it's great Master, really. I'm very happy for you… and Sulpicia," he choked out my wife's name. I pretended not to notice his hesitance to accept Sulpicia as Maia's mother. Even I had trouble with that.

"Savio, are you unhappy here?" Savio appeared frightened by my words.

He replied hastily, "No, no Master! I love it here, truly. It's just that I sometimes wish to see more of the world." He spoke his confession quietly, not meeting my eyes.

"How do you mean," I said, suddenly upset. "What does the world have that we don't here?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love Volterra. But I grew up here, spent my whole life here. I had always hoped as a human that I could leave one day, see more of Italy, more of Europe. As a vampire, I can read any book on the world, the sights that I could see, and it makes me yearn for it more. Master Aro," he left his position and knelt at my feet. "Do you think that one day, I could leave the Volturi for a bit, just to travel?" I took in his pleading crimson eyes, seizing his hands. His thoughts were true. I let them go in a slight appall.

Suddenly he cried, "Why did you let her go, Aro? Why wouldn't you save her?" I knew immediately who he spoke of, and it angered me.

My true thoughts poured from me in a torrent, "She was just a human Savio! Who cares if she died? Besides, she would have been a burden! Maia needed to be raised by vampires who are intelligent and powerful, not a sniveling, useless newborn! I'm glad Domitilla is gone, because now Maia is mine, ALL MINE!" I panted with the effort of my anger. Savio was horrified at my words.

With a whine I said, "Must you ruin my happiest day with your complaining Savio? Maybe one day you could leave, but it certainly won't be today!" I tore from the room, angry and hurt. I made a note to talk to Chelsea about increasing Savio's loyalty to the Volturi. I didn't think that it could diminish over time; I'd also have to speak to her about that.

I whipped into my bedroom, to find Sulpicia stretched out on our bed. She batted her eyelashes at me seductively. My indignation evaporated as I took in her languid frame. She was wearing a silky nightgown that I had purchased for her on our first anniversary. As a vampire, she didn't have much need for it, she wore it only the once. Now she appeared to be the still young vampire.

She purred as I crossed the room, "Remember when I said I couldn't be any happier, Aro?" I nodded mutely, already taking off my clothes. "Well I realized today that I was wrong. I'm-" Sulpicia didn't finish her sentence as I kissed her with more passion in my bones than I'd had for a hundred years or more.

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**A/N: **_So, sorry she's called a mimic. I couldn't think of anything more creative :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
-Lasweetie_


	11. Measure

**A/N:** _Sorry for the long wait! For some reason, I just didn't want to post this. It is the end, after all. That's right, this is the final chapter in _this_ part of the story. But never fear, there is more to come! Thanks to those of you who followed the story, like "sarahlovestwilight" and of course to the lovely Clairehasdimples for not knowing me at all and never writing ;)  
_  
**_Stephenie Meyer owns everything except Maia Juventas Volturi_**

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I left my room in the morning with a sense of dread. The measuring tape felt heavy in my hands, instead of feather light as I had come to know it. Seven years, I had spent seven fulfilling years with _mia_ Maia. And now, she was almost all-grown up.

I suppose she was actually all grown up. Three weeks after her seventh birthday, Maia's growth slowed dramatically. She had grown only an inch in two weeks, and her other measurements were mostly fixed. The day before they were _almost_ identical to the previous day's records. In my undead heart, I could feel that today would be the day. Today, Maia would stop growing.

The walk to the tower seemed particularly hard that day. I dragged my feet, walking as slowly as I did the first day Maia came into my life. I thought about that beautiful day, Maia's curiosity flaring and her love unbounded. Today, she was to be a grown woman. How could she be my little girl when she was no longer little? I felt the pain of that answer tear at me. I wanted nothing more than to reverse the last few years, to make my daughter back into the small child who ran into my arms for everything.

Now she ran to Felix. I pounded the wall, creating a hole in the foot thick stone. She and Felix were now officially "dating". I had no idea what that meant, they never left the castle except to go to the garden. Every time they came back, I touched his hand savagely, to make sure Maia was as pure as she was when they left. After the first few times, I noticed that they sat far apart and didn't look at each other. Maia would glare at me, once she even hissed, "You happy now?" I averted my eyes then, not wanting to face her wrath.

I eventually had to walk into the tower. Luckily for me, only Maia was in there. She was up earlier than usual; the dawn had only just broken. Not that Maia slept in late, she said she felt like everyone was waiting for her to get up, and she hated that. But dawn? I understood her early rising as the nerves she felt. I was slightly irritated though at her choice of dress. She wore her gardening clothes, as though she had no respect for the event at hand. I was about to say that but then she looked up at me, tears on her face. She wiped them away as fast as she could, but my vampire eyes still caught the action. I crossed the room swiftly, dropping the measuring tape, and holding her in my arms. She opened the floodgate of tears and sobbed into my shoulder.

"Oh, Daddy, I don't want to grow up!" Her words came in bursts, in time with her tears. I cooed and stroked her hair, wanting nothing more than to tell her that I too didn't want that.

"It'll be alright, Maia. We all need to grow up sometime. Don't worry, you're still the same girl you were yesterday," I whispered the words as I began to rock her gently. After a few minutes, the sobs subsided and she pulled away. She dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief I handed her.

"Not everyone grows up," she said in a small voice.

My laughter took her off guard. I said, "Well excluding Peter Pan, they do. Sure, not all of us grow physically, like you do, but we all must mature. Change is a way of life _caramia_. I know it's hard for you to handle all of this change, but it'll be done I'm soon, I promise."

She let out a cry of frustration and stood up. I was taken aback by her anger; I thought that I calmed her down. "You don't get it! It's not the change that scares me, I love change! I'm the only thing that's different around here! When I finish growing, then what? It'll all just be the same, every day! I won't have any more measuring, no lessons, nothing! Daddy, I don't want to grow up, not because the constant change is annoying but once it's gone I'll go crazy!" She sat back down, putting her head in her delicate hands.

"Maia, I had always assumed that you hated it… I don't know what to say." She lifted her head and gave me a pitying look.

"It's ok, Daddy, It's a lot to handle," she said, patting my head like a grandmother. She held in her laughter for only a moment, until it exploded from her like the blooming flowers in her garden. She wrapped her long arms around me and I joined in on her glee. We sat like that for an hour or so, long enough for the light to change significantly. Maia pulled away and looked out the window.

"So this is it, isn't it, Daddy? This'll be the last time?"

I nodded, saying, "I think so _caramia_. But just because your body has stopped, doesn't mean your mind has to. Caius can continue your lessons, if you wish. And maybe your mother can buy you more flowers for your garden?" Maia nodded mutely, still watching the sunrise and not really listening. I gave up my comforting words; I knew she would come around eventually.

I was shocked by her confession. All of the Volturi seemed to welcome the unchanging days. I surmised that when you were very old, it was nice to not have surprises or differences in the day to day. Of course, for the past seven years, every single day was different. I now looked back on the years and saw Maia's attempts to liven things up, everyday. Even the dullest Tuesdays were magical with her. I reached forward for the measuring tape and I looked at every mark made on it, for every single measurement.

Eventually Felix blundered in to ruin the moment. He swept into the room, pulling Maia into his arms. He pecked her cheek, not picking up on our melancholy mood.

"Aww, J, today's it, I bet! You're finally gonna be a big girl," he said his last sentence in a baby voice, and I wanted to punch him. Maia giggled like a brainless nitwit though. She, for some reason that escaped me, loved Felix's sense of humor. I saw all the traces of her sadness and worry and she leapt from her "boyfriend's" arms and gave him a proper hug. Though, I wouldn't really say proper, his hands were much to low on her back for that word.

She pulled back and kissed him full on the lips, to spite me, I'm sure. She always kissed him in front of me. I had to admit that Felix tried to be a gentleman when he was in my presence, but Maia did seem hell-bent on not allowing that. I clenched my fists and glared a hole into Felix's head, but as soon as Maia pulled away from suctioning his face off, he raised his hands in the air in a gesture of innocence. Maia pretended she didn't notice. Felix and Maia went to speak in whispers on the other side of the room. Though I could hear them, I did my best to tune the chatter out, I wasn't that prying. Within a few minutes, the rest of the Volturi came in.

Usually we did the measuring by ourselves, just Maia and I. Sometimes Felix sat in, making comments on every measurement like a perverse studio audience. Those times, Maia would giggle incessantly and act more like her actual age, not her mental age. The past few days, every member began to come to the measuring, because they all wanted to satisfaction of seeing the last one.

Every member was excited, none more than Jane. She and Maia had somewhat of a truce going for the past few years. I think that it went something along the lines of, "As long as you don't mention your growth, I won't kill you". Now that Maia was going to be finished with that physical growth, Jane's envy was receding more every day. Of course, she'd still dislike Maia for being my favorite, but there was no way to sway her from that hatred.

Sulpicia flitted to my side, pulling me upright fluidly. She held my hand nervously, casting not-so-sly glances at Maia. She didn't need to speak; I felt the nerves as well. Everyone in the room tensed as I stepped forward, into the middle of the room. Maia let go of Felix's hand reluctantly and went out to meet me. Every vampire in the room held their breath. I wrapped the measuring tape around her head, which had stopped growing about a week ago. I called out the number. The tension mounted. I wrapped it around her waist, each leg, the length of her arms, her chest, and finally her height. When I said to the room the height (five foot and seven inches; the exact same as the day before) they erupted into cheers.

They all rushed out to hug Maia at once, Felix first along with Sulpicia. I backed away, observing her hardly masked terror. She tried to smile at everyone, echoing back thanks to each who called their congratulations. She started to cry, and I knew it wasn't from happiness. Felix couldn't stop beaming. I even saw Jane give Maia a stiff peck on the cheek. I lifted my hands dully to my face, feeling the forced smile frozen their. Only Marcus hadn't moved forward, now he moved to my side, laying a hand on my arm. He saw through the smile and was silent, letting my mind slow down its furious racing.

I had never had this flood of thoughts before, not even when Maia was born. I was at the same time terrified and exulted, nervous and relieved. Every nerve awoke at that moment, lighting up to tingle. I had done it. I had raised her from birth to fully grown, no harm come to her. I let out a loud cheer at that thought as soon as it planted itself in my mind. Maia looked at me like I was a traitor. I gave her a small frown of apology, and went and hugged Sulpicia. She was beaming and I was sure that tonight she'd show me that pleasure. I gave her an extra squeeze and a wink, to which she playfully slapped me and pulled away.

All of the Volturi chattered happily, asking Maia how she felt, how I felt, jokingly asking Felix when the wedding was. Maia's smile began to become genuine, turning from forced to a relaxed grin. She held Felix's hand tightly, laughing and kidding with everyone. Demetri brought out a bottle of champagne for her, popping the cork to the glee of everyone.

Maia raised her glass in a toast to herself, seeing as she was the only one who would drink the alcohol. "I'd like to thank all of you for everything you've given me growing up. Today, I'm finally finished with my physical growth." Heidi gave three cheers. Maia smiled patiently and continued, "To the impossibly long and happy life that we will have here in Volterra FOREVER!" The roar of the happy crowd was almost deafening, it might have been to human ears. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the mortals on the street look at the tower in curiosity, but they continued on their ways. Maia chugged her champagne, it was very difficult to get her intoxicated, apparently, and quickly moved onto a second and then third glass.

After her whole bottle had been drunk, Maia convinced us all to go to the ballroom. She coerced Afton into playing piano for us, and she swept all of the Volturi into a dance. On her worst days, she could make us do anything, but right then, she glowed radiantly. We all followed, of course, because what else was there to do? We celebrated the whole day and well into the night. The members of the guard would slip away and reappear with gifts they had been saving.

Around three in the morning, Maia began to doze off. I volunteered to carry her to her room, not wanting to give Felix the chance to do it. He glared at me and I stuck my tongue out at him when nobody was watching. I lifted my little girl, well not so little anymore truthfully, and carried her from the grand ballroom and up the seven flights of stairs to her room. She slept as I walked, the complete opposite of the day she was born.

In her room you couldn't hear the noise of the partying immortals below. Only the soft sounds of night were in the room and the air that crept through the windows was cool. I laid her gently on her bed; she was roused though as I crept away.

"Daddy?" I stopped at her fairy voice and turned around. She was looking at me fiercely, but not angered, her green eyes filled with emotion.

"Yes, _caramia_?" I spoke softly, wanting to keep the peace and quiet the pervaded the room.

"I love you, you know. I'll always be your little girl, your _cara_, even if I am all grown up now," she said this, giggling. I kissed the top of her head gently and tilted her chin to meet my eyes.

"Yes, my emerald amongst rubies, you are grown up now." I left the room, hearing her body softly hit her bed, and shut the door.

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**A/N:** :)


	12. Epilogue

**A/N: **_This is to give you an idea of where the next installment is going, except that one will be in Maia's perspective, not Aro's like this whole story was. Thanks!_

**_Stephenie Meyer is the Twilight Goddess!_**

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Dear Dad,

_I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry that I'm not here. I just couldn't stay any longer, not after everything that happened. After you… lied to me. I'm sorry, but I'm not coming back. Don't look for me, even I don't know where I'm going. I can't live here anymore. I'll take care of myself, I promise. Tell Felix that I love him, and I'm sorry._

_Love,_

_Maia _

I took one look at the letter before I dropped it wordlessly. Felix grabbed it before it hit the ground, scanning it quickly. My undead heart gave one sharp pulse and then broke into a million little pieces.

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**A/N: **_Review?_


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